Torn
by Jazzy1
Summary: Hermione is stuck in an unhappy marriage. A turn of shocking events changes her life. She is torn over the decision to be loyal to her "husband" or to succomb to the new idea of a happy romance with the man who hates her more than anyone.
1. In The Beginning

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling. I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or plot or anything affiliated with Harry Potter or Warner Bros. I'm just a lonely nerd with a writing habit.

It had been ten years; ten blissfully, unhappy years.

Okay, if she were to be honest with herself, they weren't _all _unhappy. The first six years were great, amazing even. She had been married to the man of her dreams. Married to the man she had gone through everything with, and was prepared to face the world with.

Hermione Granger married Ron Weasley a couple of years after graduating from Hogwarts. They were very happy in the beginning. Most couples seem to be, for the first year or two before problems arose.

Although she was impatient to start a family, she quickly discovered that Ron was not so eager. Ten years into the marriage and she was still child-less. She felt like a failure as a wife, and as a woman. For the first five years of their marriage, Ron had simply just not been interested in having kids. He felt that they were too young to be having children. Just because they were married, he argued, didn't mean that they needed to rush into becoming parents. Hermione could understand that; and being a level headed person she was, she learned to quiet her biological clock and wait until Ron was ready for parenthood. They had the rest of their marriage to pursue having kids.

After ten years, however, her patience was wearing thin and time wasn't helping. Every year Ron seemed to be less and less interested in having children.

She supposed he was too involved with his career. Ron had landed a big shot job at the Ministry shortly after they finished school. The Ministry used his face to market Ministry-Ideals to the general public. He was a puppet basically, in her opinion. But who was she to argue with it? He loved what he did.

The Ministry would have preferred to employ the great, amazing Harry Potter, of course, but Harry had never been into the celebrity of it all; whereas Ron had always craved it.

He had everything he wanted it seemed. A gorgeous, intelligent and notable wife; a big extravagant house; a high paying job, and he was, now, a respected figure in his community. Children didn't' seem to matter, or have place in the great picture of his new life.

Hermione found that she could typically dull her frustrations, and sorrows by burying herself in her interests. She had practically read her personal library through five times over. Ron was very supportive of her habit. He came home often with rare and collectible books for her. Her personal library kept well-stocked. But, after reading every book known to man, over and over again, she begin to realize that there's not really much new to discover in a brand new book. Every page begins to look the same as the last. Every book cover blends in with the next until a bookshelf full of possibilities starts to look like a giant wall of nothingness. A giant, useless repetitive, stupid wall that just stares you down, reminding you that you still don't have any kids!

She wanted a baby. No, she needed a baby to love, hold, adore and to keep her occupied. She even had an entire shelf of books reserved with titles she wanted to read and share with her children someday. They even included Muggle books her mother used to read to her.

After losing her passion for reading, Hermione tried to take on new projects by taking advantage of their new financial means. She opened her own community library and started a tutoring program where she helped to educate bright young wizards in exchange that they used that knowledge to help other witches and wizards advance academically. She loved working with kids. She loved sharing her thoughts and her knowledge with them. She couldn't describe the satisfaction she felt when she could see the light turn on in a child's mind when an idea finally connected with them and was comprehended.

It had occurred to her, many times, that she would make an excellent teacher. But applying for a teaching position was out of the question, Ron absolutely forbid it. He needed to have her at home to do important things…like re-read her library, look pretty, and sit around bored out of her mind.

Hermione didn't even have chores to occupy herself with.

Ron wanted to accrue house elves the second he had gotten a bit of money into Gringotts, but Hermione absolutely forbid it. She even threatened to leave him over the issue when she realized how badly he wanted them, and how okay with the idea he was. They compromised and Ron hired a staff of witches and wizards to clean and cook for them. Ron liked to complain that they were costing him a fortune, but Hermione would remind him that, even if they did obtain house elves, she would have forced him to pay them fair wages. So, either way, hiring help would have broken his bank.

On top of it all, she never really saw much of her husband anymore. The first few years they had been inseparable. All he ever wanted to do was kiss her, hold her, and tell her how much he loved her. They spent days in bed, just making love and disregarding all of their responsibilities. Now, it was difficult to remember the last time they had spent an entire afternoon in each other's company. She saw her friends more than she saw her husband. Not that she entirely minded, because her friends were great.

Harry married Ginny the second she graduated. They had three kids now, and were trying for a fourth. Even Luna was happily married to Neville, and had a child of her own to dote over. Hermione was envious. She hated to admit it, but it was the truth. She would have given anything to live a day in either Luna or Ginny's wonderfully blessed shoes. But for the time being, she would have to accept her role as aunt and babysitter.

Life wouldn't stay this way forever. She knew, in her heart, that Ron loved her. He understood how important motherhood was to her. He would come around, eventually. She just had to have faith and hope. She only prayed it wouldn't take another ten years…

A/N: This is the first fanfiction that I have written and shared in a few years. I want to Elizaye for reawakening my passion for fanfiction with her AMAZING fanfic, Turncoat. Everyone should check it out! Speaking of checking things out, do not check out my earlier fanfictions. They are absolutely terrible and I'm probably going to delete them…I wrote them when I was a 12 year old on crack. I'm now 22 and thoroughly embarrassed by them…lol


	2. Rain On My Window

Hermione laid in bed, looking out the window. It was storming. The rain hit the window like a mallet to a drum, over and over again. The limbs on the trees were swaying rapidly with the wind, tickling the air with their leaves. She found the bustle of the chaotic storm soothing.

Hermione sensed her eyelids getting heavier as they started to droop. She was nestled against her hands, curled up on her side, cozy and warm. Bringing herself to look up the clock at the wall, she sighed as she realized it read 1:00 am. Once again, she wondered if he'd be coming home that night at all. He did this from time to time. He would go out with his friends, mainly Seamus and Dean, all night long. They would lose track of time, ordering drink after drink until it was bar time. The more drunk Ron became, the quicker he would forget that he had a wife at home waiting in their bed for him to arrive.

Then she heard a familiar pop, followed by footsteps staggering down the hall. The door creaked gently as it swung open.

"Mione, baby! Whatareyoudoing in bed already?". He was slurring, he was drunk. "It's sooo early! You're such a good girl, you know that? But that's why I love you because you-you know so much about what to do. Its like…like you're always right. My sexy little chipmunk"

She scowled to herself. There were few things she despised in this world; being called a 'sexy little chipmunk' was one of them. He thought it was a cute pet name to use for her when he was drunk. She had never been amused by it, yet he continued to use it.

"Ron, what did I say about that nickname?" she responded bitterly. She finally brought herself to turn around and face him. He was smiling at her with a drunken haze in his eyes.

"Ah, mione. It's cute, it suits you, it fits you, really-really it does" He protested as he began to undo his tie. He struggled with it for a while, getting it tied up in his fingers. After a minute or two of struggling he managed to slip it off and began to undo the buttons on his shirt.

While he struggled to undress himself Hermione turned her attention back onto the storm. The wind had died down a tad but the rain still seemed to ferociously slam itself against the glass, as if to demand entry. It calmed her down by distracting her from her current feeling of frustration. She concentrated on it in an attempt to drown out the sound of drunken rambling behind her. It didn't last long.

"-And then Seamus told Dean that she was a witch, y'know-that he knew her" Ron was still telling some stupid story, laughing to himself after every line. "But he didn't know her, you see? She was just some muggle and-and Dean bought it. He goes up to her and hes talking about all this stuff like Hogwarts, diagon alley and she is looking at him like he's some crazed hobo."

He had stripped down to his boxers and lifted up the covers, sliding himself into the bed next to her. But he didn't stop talking, "She didn't even interrupt him she just let him keep going and going and then he, he finally realized…she didn't have a clue what he was on about!" he busted out in laughter, "Oh Mione, you should have been there to see their faces, it was hilarious…"he died down, finally running out of steam. His stories after a night of drinking were always stupid and they never made sense. They all sounded the same after 10 years of childless marriage anyway. But she knew how he wanted her to respond.

"That is so funny Ron. I'm so glad you had a great time" she gave him a forced sweet smile as she turned to face him. He smiled back at her and she could smell the beer on his lips. She hated the smell; it made her want to gag. His eyes kept slipping down in a drunken stupor. It annoyed her to know end. She felt her jaw starting to tense.

"How was your night?" Ron asked her, breaking the tension

"It's morning now Ron" Hermione answered irritably.

"You know what I mean. C'mon now-"

"It was fine."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. Like I do every night"

He might have been drunk but he could tell that she was getting upset. "Why do you have to be like that? Really? I've had a great night tonight. You don't need to bring me down"

"You asked, I answered" she answered, shrugging her shoulders as she said it.

"You could have said something positive about your day. Gosh, you're such a downer"

"Well Ron, I'd of had an eventful day if I had a baby to attend to. Did you ever think of that?"

He rolled his eyes, "This again…" he groaned.

"Yes, This again" she snapped. "Ron, you promised me that we would have kids. You told me you wanted them too-"

"I do" Ron snapped, cutting her off, his tone and volume were increasing. "But why do you have to bring it up all the time? If we're meant to have them then it will happen"

"It's not going to happen when we're taking preventative measures Ronald-" she hated this argument, it was so stupid.

"Not true. Harry and Ginny weren't trying with this last pregnancy. They got pregnant regardless-"  
>"It's less than a one percent chance Ron! Do you realize how rare that occurrence is? We don't need to invest on unlikely odds! We can just stop preventing it, and do this. We can make a baby right now, tonight" He was repulsive to her in a drunken state, but she was willing to do anything to convince him to make a baby with her.<p>

He growled in frustration and rolled his eyes. "Do you know how much that would complicate things from me right now?"

"What? How? Ron, you wouldn't have to do anything! I would do everything! I would even leave my position at the library to stay home and make sure everything went smoothly. I don't understand why you won't let me have this" she felt herself getting emotional as tears began to pool at the edge of her eyes. "I-I'm starting to feel that you don't love me"

Instead of being compassionate towards her, he got even more annoyed. "That's so stupid Hermione. Just because I don't want to have kids right now doesn't mean that I don't love you." He turned sharply away from her, turned off the light and pulled his covers up.

She was shaking from frustration as she brought herself to turn back around and face the storm. Even though she had her husband at her side, she still felt horribly alone. She let the sound of rain, and the feel of wet tears rolling down her cheek lull her to sleep that night.


	3. Realize

Hermione finished zipping up the suitcase as it lay on the bed. He was going away on a business trip with the Minister of Magic. They were going to visit some important Politician in Germany.

Ron wasn't really needed on the trip. The minister just liked to show him off as one of the few wizards to have faced Voldemort on multiple accounts and survive.

Hermione used to go along on these trips but they started to blend into one other until it was all a blur. She preferred the boring consistency of her own life over witnessing her husband being dragged around like some shiny Barbie doll for the minister.

"Wingardium Leviosa" she levitated the suitcase and brought it down the stairs with her. Ron was finished up a sandwich at the kitchen table while he waited for her.

"Is everything in there?" he asked with his cheeks full of food. She absolutely hated how he talked with his mouth full.

She nodded, "As always"

He shook his head furiously, "No, last time you forgot my favorite belt. I didn't have anything to go along with my La Rouge slacks" R argued as he finished the last bite of his sandwich.

She couldn't help the eye roll that followed, "Well, maybe you should pack your own suitcases from now on Ronald."

Smiling at her, he stood up and walked up to her. He pressed a quick kiss onto her forehead, "But you're so good at it most of the time. Thank you"

"When you get back Ron, can we talk about the whole child thing? Seriously?" she made sure her tone was calm and focused. She didn't want to fight right before he left. His expression softened as he put his arms around her.

"Of course" he planted a quick kiss on her lips.

"Promise?" Hermione pressed.

"I promise" he said, crossing his fingers across his heart.

She let herself smile at him as she pulled herself up onto her tip toes to press an honest kiss against his lips. "Have fun on your trip"

"I always do" Ron turned around and picked up his suitcase, "Blimey this is heavy"

Shrugging, she replied, "It's your stuff"

They both chuckled, "Too right. Alright then. I'll see you in a week. Stay out of trouble" he winked at her as he walked out the door.

Halfway through the week Harry stopped by to see that she was doing alright. He was such a selfless man, always putting others before himself. Hermione admired that so much. If there was a way she could duplicate and transfer that quality into her own husband she would do it without hesitation.

The door had barely been open for two seconds and Hermione had already lunged herself forward and pulled her best friend into a welcoming embrace.

"Harry! It is so good to see you!"

His laughter was contagious. It brightened up the whole room, "Good to see you too Hermione"

She stepped back and gave him enough room to enter her home.

"How have you been holding up?" he inquired. She knew what he really meant. He wasn't asking if she was okay being home by herself, she loved the solitude.

There wasn't any point in trying to lie to him, he could always see right through her so she answered truthfully. "Horrible. I feel that every day we grow farther and farther apart. I don't know how…how I could even feel right raising a child in a house like this. Not that it would matter. He's never going to let me have a baby."

Harry led her into her own living room and guided her down onto the couch; he could sense that tears weren't too far away.

"Did he say that?" he had so much genuine concern in his voice. It was refreshing. Everything seemed to be a joke to Ron. He never took her seriously.

"No…well, kind of. He doesn't think we should stop using preventative charms. He says that if we're meant to have a baby it will just happen"

"That's just stupid"

"That's what I said" Hermione exasperated, throwing her hands up in relief that she wasn't the only sane and rational person in the house for a change.

"I don't know what to do anymore" she felt a moist pressure accumulating against her eyes. Quickly, she furiously shut them.

Crying is not what she needed. Crying didn't solve anything. She was done crying, she had cried enough for the better part of ten years. She felt Harry's soft and warm hand on her back as he attempted to calm her down.

"Hermione…I hate to be the one to suggest this, Ron being my friend and all but…have you ever considered that maybe you two don't want the same things out of life?"

"I know that we don't. All Ron cares about is himself and all I want is to care about everyone else." She nearly laughed, her life felt so ridiculous.

"Well…"Harry was speaking cautiously, wanting to make sure he picked the right words. "Maybe the two of you shouldn't be together then…or you should consider taking a break, if only to clear your heads"

"Our entire relationship is a break" Hermione replied flatly. She shook her head, clearing the idea from her head. "I could never leave him. He needs me too much. We've been through way too much together for me to just give up on him"

"I'm not saying that you'd be giving up Hermione. Think of it as letting yourself be happy. I love you and I hate seeing you this miserable. Don't deny it, because that's what you are. Absolutely miserable"

This time she couldn't stop the tears from gliding down her cheeks. It made her face hot. She absolutely hated crying in front of people. It made her feel so weak. "But this is the life I chose Harry. I have to live with the commitments I made. Ron is my husband…"her voice dwindled. What did that even mean anymore? She was just as much his wife as he was her husband and yet she cared far more for his needs and wants then he had ever cared for hers.

"Whatever decision you make Hermione, just promise me you'll take care of yourself?"

"I promise" she softly replied. Her mind was swarming, confronted with the realization of how unhappy she really was with her life.


	4. Waiting

Ron was expected to come home that day. She felt a twinge of excitement. His mood typically improved after these times apart. He had promised her before he had left that they would talk, once again, about the idea of having kids. She felt prepared this time. She would keep a smile, she wouldn't argue. They would have a normal rational discussion. She would make it clear that this was something she required out of their marriage. Not just something she wanted. If he realized how serious she was about this need, he would have to be compliant. If he really loved her, that is. She had faith that he did. After ten years of devotion, how could he not?

She was pacing around her house frantically; her nerves were getting the best of her. She knew they had their own cleaning crew but she couldn't stop helping them out. She would find something to fix or something to fin nick with to keep her mind busy and entertained.

He was expected to be back around 5. At 5:30 she waited in the kitchen for him to get home. Sitting down at the table reading a book. She was really reading it, she was more so playing with it. She'd already read this particular book around three times.

Her toe kept rapping the floor nervously. She had a different feeling about the discussion she would have this time. She had hope for a different outcome. Harry's discussion with her prompted a very deep thought process in her over the past few days. She had thought over what she was say and how she would say it a million times over.

Six o'clock came and went. He must have gone for a drink with the minister at the last minute. She got up and made something to eat even though she wasn't hungry. As she waited for her food to heat up, she leaned against the counter day dreaming about what her children would look like. She imagined their hair color, the texture of their hair, how tall they would be the shape of their smiles and the brightness of their eyes...

7 o'clock came and went. She had barely touched the food she made for herself. She was getting a bit frustrated. Ron was often late but he usually contacted her. She wasn't worried about him. Her concern was that he would stroll in again, past midnight, drunk off of his rocker. There was no chance of having a normal, rational, controlled discussion at that point. She would have to wait for another day.

By the time eight rolled around she decided to go back upstairs and take a shower. She took her time soaking in the hot water. She let it relax her tension as the water hit her skin aggressively. The smell of her grapefruit body wash cleared her senses. By the time she finished bathing she had a calmer temperament overall. It was nine at that point.

She was going to have a positive attitude about all of this. Getting mad at Ron for coming home late wasn't going to get her any closer to getting pregnant. She would go to bed and wake up in the morning perky, refreshed and happy to welcome her husband home.

She crawled into bed and tried to let sleep overcome her. But it didn't come. She felt unsettled. Something felt off but she couldn't tell what. Ten rolled around and soon eleven followed. She was still awake.

Frustrated she went back downstairs to the kitchen to put on some tea. Ron had better have a good explanation for keeping her waiting. She pulled out the drawer and grabbed a quill and paper as her tea heated on the stove.

_-Ron,_

_Where are you?_

_-Hermione_

She scribbled the note quickly and sent it off with the owl. She didn't want to nag him, but waiting around like this was going to drive her mad. She really needed to talk to him or she was never going to find sleep.

Her tea was ready. She poured herself a full mug, adding a little milk and sugar to it. It was too hot. It took her a couple minutes of stirring before it was cool enough to sip. Not that I mattered, she had plenty of time to wait for her tea to cool, evidently.

By the time one a.m. came she had been fed up. He was drunk, he had to be. There was never a reply owl and she did not want to be up when he came home rambling about his festivities in Germany with the minister in the vocabulary of an incapacitated five year old.

She forced herself back upstairs to her room and snuggled herself into her lonely bed. The tea had done a surmountable amount to relax her body. Finally, the temptation of sleep overtook her and in no time she was dreaming.

A/N: Thanks for following along! Next chapter picks up a bit. Keep reviewing! Thanks!


	5. Losing Hope

When Hermione awoke in the morning, she was still alone in her bed. The sun was glaring at her through the window. She groaned and threw the covers up over her head. She didn't want to be awake but the sun was too bright and protested against her. She dragged her legs over the edge of the bed and forced herself to stand up.

When she got her hands on that git of a husband of hers she was going to strangle him until he was as red as his hair. Fuck having a rational, controlled, adult conversation. He was going to give her a baby or she was going to just come home with one.

She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was standing at every end, giving her a look that matched her mood.

"I should just leave it like that. Walk around looking like a mad woman all day so that everyone knows how pissed off I am and will stay out of my way" Hermione spoke to her reflection.

She turned away from looking at herself and went back in the shower. She didn't really need it but she didn't care. The water felt good and helped to wake her up.

A little while later, she stepped out, dried herself off and got dressed in something comfortable. It was one of those days where she would rather feel good than look good.

The door creaked, as always, as she left her room and went downstairs to make some breakfast.

Ron was home. He was sleeping with his head on the kitchen table, snoring. She rolled her eyes and walked past him without saying a word. As she brewed coffee, she had deviant thoughts of pouring a hot cup right on top of his face to wake him up. She settled for scowling at him while she ate her meal from across the table.

She kicked her foot up and made a large noise as it hit under the table. Ron shot up, his eyes blood shot.

"Whatwassat?" Ron mumbled, looking around hazily.

"Morning" Hermione chirped sarcastically.

"Jesus 'Mione, why'd you do that for?" he complained.  
>"Why didn't you come home last night? I was waiting for you" she asked angrily.<p>

"I went out with the minister. Didn't know I had to check in-"

"I waited for hours Ron. I really needed to speak with you!" she was so frustrated.

"Well I'm here now. What's going on? What do you need to talk about" he was rubbing his eyes, trying to gain a bit more focus.

She just sighed grumpily and shook her head. "Go upstairs and get some sleep. I'll talk to you later" she picked up her plate and threw it in the sink She didn't care if she broke it, she just wanted to get away from him as she stormed out the front door, slamming it behind her.

She spent the day working with her students at the library. Everything ran perfectly without her there to oversee it but she loved to witness the progress herself. Not only did her organization help students excel academically, but they strived to help muggle born wizards and witches catch up to their peers.

Hermione remembered how much there was for her to learn and get used to, on top of school. Learning what a muggle was, changing her dressing habits, and so on. She had hated the embarrassment of not knowing simple history that the other students had grown up knowing, or not knowing their folk tales and traditions.

Muggle borns could come to her library and catch up on everything they never had the opportunity to learn, so that they could feel more included when they went off to their own schools.

Hermione's next task was to organize a group of wizards and witches that would be able to go to student's homes, who were muggle born, and take the time to discuss with their parents all the benefits of allowing their child to hone their magical ability. She had seen too many bright witches and wizards be denied the opportunity to be schooled because of their parents fear and ignorance. The Dursleys weren't the only ones who hated magic.

She wanted these children to have every opportunity the magical world had to offer them. She wanted them to know, without a doubt, that they were equal to any pureblood wizard they would encounter.

She was in a much better mood when she came back home that evening. Ron walked into the kitchen to meet her as she closed the door behind her and set her purse on the table.

"Hermione, I think we need to talk" Ron sat down at the table, gesturing that she should do the same.

She slid out a chair and sat down next to him. "I think so too." She felt the butterflies going off inside her.

He seemed nervous as well. "Did you want to talk first?"

She shook her head, "You can go first"

"Are you sure?" his eye brown raised with uncertainty.

"Yeah"

He stood a deep breath and exhaled, "Phew, okay. This is hard…"

She reached out and took his hand in hers. "It's okay. Just take it slow. What is it you wanted to tell me" She was so excited as she smiled sweetly at him. This was it. He finally understood her. He was going to tell her that they were finally ready to have kids. He finally wanted to become a father.

"Hermione, I don't know the right way to say this so I'm just going to go ahead and put it out there…"

"Okay" she nodded, showing him complete, undivided attention.

"…I think we should get a divorce" he cringed, anticipating a violent reaction.

Everything instead of her seemed to drop like lead. She felt like someone had just slammed her head straight through the floor. Ron slowly pulled his hand out of hers and placed it in his lap.

"What did you say?"

"Listen, it's the right thing to do. I'm not happy. I haven't been for…years. And I think that it's clear that you're not happy either"

"What?" she was still stunned, completely in shock.

"You don't agree?"

"Ron, I don't want a divorce. I want a baby, your baby. I thought you were going to tell me that we were ready to have a child!" her voice was iced with disbelief.

He cringed again. It was then she looked behind him and realized that most of his stuff was gone.

"Where are your things? Are you moving out?"

"I'm nearly moved out. I had bought in some movers when you left-"

"You planned this?"

"No, I anticipated it. Look, there's more that I have to tell you and…you're going to hate me" he bit his bottom lip. He seemed to get stuck on a thought before he shook it off, shaking his head aggressively. "I have to tell you though. I don't want you to find out from her"

"What do you mean find out from her…"Hermione's voice was dangerously low. She realized that her leg was shaking aggressively. She couldn't stop it. She felt nauseous.

He stood up. Sitting there, looking directly in her eyes seemed so wrong with what he was doing to her. "Like I said Hermione, I haven't been happy for years…we basically live different lives. You spend half your life in that library, doing amazing things. And then I have my work with the ministry. We barely even share our bed anymore-"

"Because you're always fucking drunk!" Hermione shrieked.

"Because I feel like I have to be drunk to face you anymore!" he yelled back.

She sunk back into the chair, "What, am I repulsive to you Ron?"

'NO, no it's not that. You're a beautiful woman Hermione but you're…you're just frigid okay?"

Her voice didn't sound like her own anymore; it almost had a growl to it. "I am not frigid Ronald Weasley. How dare you-"

"Look, my intention isn't to insult you. I'm trying to tell you the truth. There is more I have to say, that isn't even half of it"

"What else Ron? What else could there be? Give it to me all at once since you're already dead set on ruining my life and crushing every chance of happiness I ever had"

He took a deep breath, adrenaline shaking voice. "I-I've been seeing someone else-"

"Who?" she roared.

He put his hand up to stop her, "Just let me finish, please. I'll tell you everything, I promise. Just let me get it out" He started to shaking slight as well. Unlike Hermione, who was shaking from being utterly distraught, he was just nervous and scared of the witch before him. She didn't know it but he had already cast a protective shield on himself, completely anticipating her reaction to his news.

He continued, "I've been seeing someone for about five years now…"

She opened her mouth like she was going to gag but she didn't interrupt him.

"And, in all fairness, I'll admit I've basically been living a double life. Most nights when I come home drunk it's because I slammed a few shots down right before seeing you so that you'd think I was at the bar all night when I wasn't." he confessed.

"F-Five years?" Hermione felt tears covering her eye sight until she felt like she was gazing underwater. They piled up until they began to spill over.

"I didn't want to have kids with you Hermione because of that. Because it wouldn't be right when I love someone else…"

"When did you stop loving me?" her voice was strained and hoarse.

"I'm not entirely sure. I just…I just did and then I met Lavender-"

"Lavender? Lavender Brown?"

"Fuck, did I say that..." he kicked himself, "yeah, might as well let you know. She was going to come here tonight and tell you everything anyway. Which is why I wanted to let you myself. I've been with Lavender Brown and-"

Suddenly there was a knock door, as if it was cued. Hermione looked back at it and then saw the pale expression on Ron's face.

'Hermione, don't-"

She shot up out of her chair and raced to the door and flung it over. "You bitch!" she scowled. It was exactly who she thought. Lavender.

"Did you tell her yet Ron?" Lavender snapped, looking straight at him and past her.

"I'm telling her right now Lavender" Ron growled. "I asked you not to come. I told you I would handle this"

"Well Ron, it's been five years and you haven't handled it yet. I didn't think that you'd actually do it this time"

"You need to go Lavender. I'll be home as soon as I'm done with this"

"Hurry up, You have to take Marie to her voice lessons." She looked at Hermione with a condescending glare, "Sorry Granger. Should've taken better care of your man"

Before Hermione could breathe, before she could reach her wand and hex that woman into oblivion she had already apparated off of her doorstep.

"Who the fuck is Marie and why do you have to take her to voice lessons Ronald?" she shut her eyes tightly. She felt dizzy, this was all a dream. One crazy, fucked up, impossible dream.

She could hear the break in his voice as he confessed to her, she didn't turn around. She just held the door tightly to maintain her balance. She couldn't bear to look at him.

"Marie," he swallowed roughly, "Marie is my daughter Hermione"  
>She felt like shed been punched in the stomach. She keeled over and almost collapsed. She would have if it hadn't been for the door she was gripping.<p>

"I have two kids…Marie and Shawn. And I can't keep doing this. I can't put you over my family anymore. They need me. It's not fair or right that I keep them hidden away any longer"

She thought she was going to black out. She heard him walk towards her and attempt to comfort her by reached his hand towards her like he was going to hold her up. She felt so weak but she managed to throw his hands off of her.

"Don't fucking touch me Ronald Weasley. Don't you dare fucking touch me" her voice was barely a whisper.

He didn't know what to say after that, "Hermione…"

"What else Ron? Is there anything else? Like I said, give it to me all at once"

"That's it Hermione. That's everything" he said softly.

"Then get out. Get out of my life" she couldn't speak anymore. She couldn't do anything else. She needed to fall apart but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her utterly destroyed.

"If that's what you want"

"Get out!" she roared.

He didn't need to wait for her to pull out her wand. He picked up his last few bags and walked out the door. The second he was out of her house she slammed the door behind him and let herself fall down to the floor, crying hysterically.

Ron could hear her crying incessantly on the other side of the door. He had to keep telling himself that she was a strong woman, she would be okay. She had friends. She would be fine. He stepped forward and apparated back to his family.

She felt like she was going to die. Like her heart was going to decide it couldn't yield this heartache and just stopped. She wished for it. Feeling nothing would be better than this pain and betrayal. She couldn't make her body stop shaking or slow down her tears.

Ron was her life. She didn't feel like she could function knowing he was gone. She would never find another and she would never have kids. She would never be anyone's mother. Ron already had a woman who he loved more than his wife. He had given Lavender Brown the two children she would have killed to obtain. Everything she wanted was gone. She slipped further down onto the floor as she felt her life slipping away from her.

A:N/ What do you think? Leave a review. If you haven't already, you should check out the other story I'm working on right now. It's called The Possibility. It's another Dramione fic. Thanks for reading! x


	6. Broken Picture

"You're kidding. He said he'd done all of that" Harry was awestruck at the news he was receiving from his grief ridden friend. He was there with his wife Ginny, as well as Luna and Neville.

"Did-did you know? Any of you? Did you know?" Hermione was still shaking from her tears. Luna had her arm around Hermione as they sat on the couch.

Hermione was hunched over, crying into her own lap. She hadn't brushed her hair in two days; her face was swollen and red from the tears that she barely attempted to wipe away anymore. She figured she would either run out of the water in her body needed to make the tears or she would drop dead from dehydration. The tears just wouldn't stop.

Everyone shook their head no to her question.

"No Hermione, none of us knew" Neville attempted to assure her.

"I would have told you had I known, love" Luna said as she continued to rub her back.

"Hermione, Ron's one of my best friends but if I had any idea he would do this to you; I would have knocked his teeth out I swear it" said Harry.

Ginny was the only one who didn't say anything, Harry looked over at his wife. "Hunny, did you know about this?"

"I mean, I didn't know but-but I suspected something"

"What do you mean?" asked harry.

"He's my brother, you know? I do know him really well"

"He was my husband, and I didn't know him at all" sobbed Hermione.

"What I mean is that. I just, I suspected he was up to_ something_. I didn't know what. Cheating, maybe? Having another family, I wouldn't have even imagined. I can't believe he didn't just leave you and pursue his intentions without dragging you through the mud like this. Why did he have to take you down in the mess of all this? He kept his family completely shut out as well. Supposedly I have a niece and nephew I've never even met or heard of?" Ginny was flabbergasted with her brother's actions.

"Has he said anything? To your family?"Neville asked.

"No, not yet."

"Hermione, are you going to be okay?" Luna asked softly, concern etched in her voice.

Hermione shook her head. "I- I feel like I don't even know how to breathe anymore"

Luna continued to rub her back. Hermione's chest was rising and falling so fast she felt like she was going to hyperventilate. She began to gasp.

"Sit up Hermione, catch your breath "Luna coaxed Hermione back up and had her lay back against the couch. Everyone got a good look at her face, she looked like hell.

"Have you eaten anything?" asked Luna.

"No, I can't eat. I can't do anything but cry" Hermione blubbered and felt her tears overcome her again.

"I'll get you something" Neville stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"I'll help" Ginny stood up and followed him out.

Harry took the opportunity to go move over to the couch next to Hermione and Luna. Luna scooted over so there was enough room for Harry to sit on the other side of Hermione.

"Hermione" Harry spoke directly to her; she had put her head back down into her lap. She was so ashamed to be seen this way. But if anyone was going to see her at her worse, she would want it to be the people in her house at that moment.

"Hermione" Harry repeated, "I know you feel like your world is over. But it's not. I promise you that the pain is going to lessen. You'll stop crying eventually"

"I don't believe you"

"Not now you don't. But I promise you it will. You'll get your head back and it will be clear and be free of this grief. You're going to realize you are so much better off without Ron. Eventually you'll see that this is an opportunity to go after everything you've wanted for so long. Like having a baby…"

"I wanted his baby Harry. _Ron's_ children, I wanted to be mother to_ our _kids." Hermione argued.

"I don't believe that for a second. I think that you're meant to be a mother. Period. It doesn't matter whose children they are Hermione, they'll be your kids and that's all that really matters."

"Plus, Ron is going to realize one day that he left the best thing he ever had. Sure, he thinks Lavender is what he wants right now, but that's because he's had both of you all this time."

"Five years" Hermione interjected, bitterly.

Luna continued, "Soon he's going to see all the things you provided for him are gone and he's going to want you back" added Luna, "And when that day comes, you're going to tell him to fuck off, you hear me?"

Hermione laughed a little. Luna hardly ever swore.

Both Harry and Luna smiled at the sound of her laugh. "There we go. Just take it day by day. You'll get through this." said Harry.

"A day feels like forever. I can manage second to second right now"

"Then do that. Then make it minute to minute, hour to hour until time starts to just fly by again" said Harry.

The door reopened and Ginny and Neville came back with a bowl of hot ramen.

"Gonna be honest here Hermione. I have no idea how to cook" Neville confessed. "But, I wouldn't be a man if I couldn't pull off a wicked bowl of ramen, yeah?"

He handed the bowl to Harry, it was steaming.

"Hermione, try to eat something please?" he offered.

She looked at the food. She felt like she wanted to puke. But she couldn't let her friends down. She reached out and took the bowl in her hands. She spooned up some of the broth and brought it up to her lips slowly. As it poured down her throat she thought that the liquid would instantly move directly up to hear eyes and come out as tears. But instead, it made her feel a little less light. More weighted and rooted to the ground. She took a bigger spoonful and let herself have some of the noodles. She was feeling a little bit better.

"Did you put something in this?" asked Hermione, she suspected a comforting charm.

"Only a little love" Neville smiled at her.

"Thank you Neville"

"Don't mention it. Take care of yourself Hermione." said Neville.

"We love you. You know that?" Ginny reached for Hermione's hand and gave it a squeeze. "No matter what happens, you have us have friends and we're here for you"

"Thanks Gin. You guys are the best"

They stayed until she finished the entire bowl. They wanted to make sure she'd eaten something. Neville and Luna left first after giving her the biggest hug of her life.

Harry and Ginny offered to help her upstairs and to bed. She furiously refused.

"I don't want to be in that bed. It's like-like I'm still expecting him to walk through the door and come to bed. I can't stand it" she started to shake with tears and sorrow.

"That's fine, give me a second then" Ginny ran upstairs and grabbed some extra comforters.

Hermione had been sleeping on the couch with nothing but a pillow. She basically cried herself into exhaustion, passed out for an hour or two and then woke up and continued to cry.

Ginny ran back down the stairs and returned with two big fluffy blankets. She wrapped them around Hermione. They were so warm, this was what she needed. To be taken care of. She needed to know that someone still cared about her.

Ginny gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek, "Goodnight Hermione. We'll come by to check on you tomorrow"

"If you need to come over at any time, don't hesitate. Okay?" said Harry.

"I won't. Thanks harry, thanks Gin. I love you guys" said Hermione. She felt so incredibly tired.

"We love you too" said both Harry and Ginny before they held hands and apparated back to their happy home and their beautiful children.

Hermione pulled herself in closer to the blankets and let sleep over take her. She pushed all thoughts of Ron from her mind and tried to concentrate on getting through the night.

/

She basically lived on her couch for a week before she managed to get up and take care of herself. She hadn't had anyone over for the past three days because she didn't feel like taking care of herself enough to have company over. She reeked. She sighed and tried to run her hands through her hair. They got stuck in her curls and knots. She frowned.

"You have to start living again Hermione" she tried to coach herself. "Ron…what he did will never be right. But you can't let yourself die over this"

She didn't believe a word she was saying but she knew she had to say it. She didn't forgive him, she would never forgive him. The idea of him filled her with sorrow and rage. The idea of him having children already completely destroyed her. She had to distract herself with anything when those thoughts crept back into her mind.

She looked up at a picture of the two of them that hung over the fireplace. He was smiling down at her. "I hope Lavender beats you and your children are squibs" she cursed him out loud. She didn't really mean that but it felt good to say.

Picture-Ron looked confused for a moment but quickly shrugged it off and continued to hold Picture-Hermione in his arms. The Picture-Couple looked so happy together. It infuriated her. Why was Picture-Hermione smiling? Didn't she know how miserable the man behind her was going to make her? Couldn't she tell he was a fake and that he never loved her? That she would spend 10 years putting her aspirations on hold? No, all Picture-Hermione did was smile and trust the man behind her blindly.

Hermione felt a surge of anger go through her. She whipped out her wand. "_Wingardium Leviosa_" she levitated the picture from off the wall and let it float in the midair of the room.

She glared at the Picture-Couple. Their happiness mocked her sorrow and despair.

"Fuck you Ron for what you did to me, _Incendio_!" the picture burst into flames. She watched it burn above her until both of their stupid Picture-Faces turned into ash along with their stupid smiles. When she felt they had burned enough and had started to become a fire hazard, she put the flames out, "_Aguamenti_"; A thin jet of water emitted from her wand and put out the burning picture leaving the charred remains of a pitiful frame that had once contained a happy life.

She felt a little better. Good enough, at least, to get into the shower and try to tame her hair.

A.N./ Thank you so much for all of the positive feedback! I appreciate it more than you will ever know!


	7. Forget Him

Every day felt like a month. It was difficult to make it through the day. She had to concentrate on one task at a time. If she tried to even fathom the future, she would get so panicked that she would work herself into a breakdown.

She didn't try to contact Ron and he hadn't tried to contact her over the last month. Harry told her that Ron had asked him how she was doing. He had told Ron to fuck off. Hermione couldn't deny that it had made her smile.

If he wasn't brave enough to be in her life and behave like a decent human being than he didn't deserve to know about any aspect of her life. He had chosen his life. He made his bed and he could lie in it. Hermione hoped that his bed was hard and itchy.

Hermione could put a large dent into Ron's career if she wanted to. She could let the world know what the brave, heroic Ron Weasley had done to her. She herself was a war hero after all. People cared about her just as much as they did him and Harry. But she was above all that; even if she didn't always want to be.

She wished sometimes that she could just lash out, lose control and let everyone see the terrible pain she was in. But she had never been that kind of girl. Of course she had her moments but she knew that she would feel terrible if she caused Ron to lose his job.

It frustrated her that she cared about what happened to him at all. But it was a hard habit to shake. Ron had been her life for the last ten years of her life and she didn't know how to just shut that off.

Her thinking was interrupted as a light brown owl tapped at the window. She walked over and let it in. She removed the note that was tied to it's leg and then unraveled it.

_Hermione,_

_How are you doing? I hope you're doing better. Neville is visiting his grandmother this weekend and he took the kids with him. I think that we should do something. I know you must be sad still but it might be good for you to get out and have some fun. We could go dancing! I know you're not crazy about dancing, but you're pretty good at it. You know that I love dancing. You should go dancing with me. Please? I won't take no for an answer Hermione. And don't tell me to ask Ginny, she's way too pregnant to be shaking anything on a dance floor right now. Haha! I'll be by at 10 to take you out dancing. Great ;) _

_-Love Luna_

Hermione read the letter over. Luna had the weirdest writing style. It made her smile.

She sighed; there was no part of her that felt like getting up and going dancing. There was no part of her that wanted to even get dressed. She wanted to sit there in her pajamas and sulk. Her life was over and all she wanted to do was grieve.

Luna and Neville had done so much for her over the years though. Luna never asked her for much. She didn't want to go but at the same time she didn't feel that she could let her friend down.

/

Hermione stepped out of the shower and looked at herself in the mirror.

'What are you doing Hermione?" She said to herself as she picked up the brush and began to brush her hair.

She responded to herself, "I'm going crazy. I've lost everything in my life and now my mind has gone too." she cackled. She had lost it. She had to make a joke of everything.

She felt that her laugh was broken, her happiness was broke, she was broken. The only way she could function as a person was to pretend she was capable of functioning at all. Nothing felt real, nothing felt genuine, and nothing felt as though it mattered anymore.

She grabbed the edge of the counter and broke into tears. Her body shook as her sobbing over took her.

"I'm okay. I'm going to be okay. I have to be okay" she kept repeating it to herself. Maybe if she said it enough, she could make herself believe it. It took her a few minutes to pull herself back together. After a few deep breaths she steadied herself enough to finish putting her hair up.

Going out with Luna was going to be a huge milestone for her to get over. She wasn't going to stress herself out more by getting dolled up. One step at a time. As long as she didn't show up to the club in her pajamas, holding a box of Kleenex, then in her mind, she was making progress.

She put on a simple shirt that had a bit of glitter on it and some jeans. That was as glamorous as it was going to get. And she was going to wear sneakers. She could care less if she was going to a dance club, she wasn't wearing heels.

Luna showed up early at a quarter to 10. She was anxious and ready to go. She had feathers in her hair, a sparkly low cut top, tight black leggings and the strangest heels Hermione had ever seen. Her make up practically popped off of her face. She was bright, happy and alive. Luna looked bright pink, Hermione felt dull and grey.

"Hermione!" Luna greeted her with a hug. "You look better"

She was trying to encourage her, make her feel better. She may have been clean and wearing something that she didn't typically sleep in, but that did not mean she looked decent.

"I don't know if this is a good idea Luna. I'm going to start crying at the bar and then they're going think I've drank too much and we're going to get kicked out within the first hour" Hermione made up an excuse.

"Nonsense. We're going. You're going to have fun. You are going to forget about Ron for at least one night. You gave him ten years and you've been thinking about him for the last month as well, wallowing in your sorrow, even though he's not thinking about you. Hermione, he's not. You should be celebrating the fact that he's gone! You should be happy. You choose how to perceive this entire situation. Why not try to make it a party for at least one night" Luna spoke with her arms, flailing her wrist about and outstretching her arms enthusiastically.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I just-I feel drained all the time. I sleep all day but I feel tired no matter what I do"

"Even more of a reason why should go out tonight!"

"I guess"

"You should get dressed though"

Hermione looked at her dumbfounded. She was kidding, right? She had to be kidding.

Luna looked her dead on. She wasn't kidding.

"I am dressed!" Hermione protested as she pulled on her shirt. "See? Glitter"

"That is not glitter. We're going to a dance club, were not going out to buy groceries. C'mon" Luna pulled on Hermione's arm and lead her up to their bedroom. No, her bedroom. The whole house was hers now. He was gone. No more us, no more we, no more ours.

Luna took about five minutes going through Hermione's clothes until she found an outfit that satisfied her taste. She held up a short black skirt and a shirt she couldn't believe she had actually purchased at one point.

"What do you think?"

"No, why don't I just put some earrings on and a bracelet maybe…I can just make what I'm wearing now look more festive"

"You're wearing this" Luna shoved the outfit in Hermione's hands. "You get dressed and I'll go find some shoes for you" Luna took hold of Hermione's shoulders and forced her into the bathroom then shut the door on her.

"Don't come out until you look hot! I mean it!"

Hermione looked back at her reflection. "It's just you and me again" she pulled her hair back down. If she was going to have to do this, she may as well do it right.

/

Luna finally got her way. Hermione looked at herself in disbelief. She couldn't remember the last time she looked this sexy. She may not have felt it yet but she knew without a doubt that she looked hot.

"Who's frigid now Mr. Weasley?" Hermione said to a picture of him she had sitting on her nightstand. She slammed the photo down and smirked. Maybe this was the right attitude to have. He thought Lavender was a hot number? He had no idea. She could be hotter. She was smarter, she was sexier, she was better all-around than any woman Ron thought he couple replace her with.

Ron would learn soon enough that there was no stand in available for Hermione Granger. That's right, Granger. She needed to memo to herself to go down to the ministry that week and get her name changed back. She didn't want to wait for the divorce to be final to reclaim her identity.

Hermione opened her bedroom door and stepped out in the full outfit Luna had selected for her.

"So? What do you think?"

"You look so hot!" Luna was so excited. "We are going to have so much fun. I promise. You ready to go?"

"Yea, I almost wish we could stop by Ron's place so I could rub this in his face" she felt herself smile again. It felt genuine. For a while there, she thought she would never really smile again.

"He would break down crying, begging for you back if he saw you right now Hermione. And what would you do if he did?"

"Kick him into the mud and tell to fuck off."

"That's right" Luna raised her hand and gave Hermione a high five. "Now let's go. We're running late as it is"

"Okay" Hermione followed Luna out of the house. She didn't know where the club was. She held onto Luna's arm and let her side along apparate her.

She could feel the beating of the music before she heard it as they arrived near the club.

"We just have to walk a block and then we're there."

Hermione paused for a second and took a moment. She couldn't remember the last time she was single and out. She never had been really. She had been in school and then there was Ron. She basically missed this entire part of her life. She had always been too scared of getting too drunk, scared of losing control, scared of making the wrong impression, scared of making a mistake. She'd been too scared to live for anything other than Ron.

Tonight, she was going to forget all of her fears. She was going to forget all of her inhabitations. She was going to forget she was ever married to Ron Weasley. At least for one night.

A:N/ Thanks for your patience everyone! I promise you Draco is coming into the story soon! Keep reading, keep reviewing! x


	8. Intoxication

The club was packed. Luna took hold of her arm to prevent them from getting separated as she pushed their way through to the bar. The bass made the floor vibrate beneath them. The entire club was swamped in darkness and the lights above were terribly bright. This wasn't Hermione's usual scene.

She found sanctuary at the bar. Before she realized what she was doing she had drank a fair amount of liquor. Lemon drops may have tasted like candy, but they were definitely not candy. Luna had filled her up with enough booze in the first thirty minutes alone that she had forgotten she was even sad. She felt great. It may have been because she was drunk, but it was a start.

The beat picked up in the music and people started to swarm the dance floor.

"We should dance" shouted Luna over the music.

"I don't really dance" Hermione shouted back.

"Take another shot and then you can dance" Luna laughed and passed her another shot.

They clinked shot glasses and tipped the shots back. Hermione shut her eyes and cringed as the booze burned down her throat. She shook it off and slammed the shot glass onto the counter.

"Let's do this!" Hermione cried out and lead Luna out onto the dance floor.

They burrowed their way into the crowd. The dance floor was full of bodies, sweat and energy. Hermione let go of her self-consciousness and let her hips start to sway along with the music. Luna's movements were hyper and eccentric but she radiated confidence as she let the music control her. Hermione felt the bass move through her again and started to let her body drop and raise back up. Her body movements became a bit more provocative as the liquor continued to course through her.

Everyone was dancing with each other. Hermione would feel hands on her at random moments. At first it made her jump but she quickly adapted to it. She had danced with more strangers that night than she'd talked to in the last year.

The songs kept playing and they kept dancing. She and Luna took turns making drink runs, bringing more drinks onto the dance floor. Hermione had just slammed down a vodka cranberry and was feeling completely intoxicated.

"I probably shouldn't drink anymore" she shouted to Luna. She felt unsteady on her feet. She had to reach out and hold onto Luna in order to keep her balance.

"Nonsense, I brought you another!" Luna shoved a long island into her hands.

"Okay fine! Last one" Hermione shouted over the music and sucked onto the straw vigorously until she had consumed the last drop. In less than a minute the drink was gone. She was gone; completely wasted at that point.

"Hey, Hey, Hermione! Luna shouted for her attention.

Hermione's eyes were closed. She was enjoying the beat in a drunken haze. "Hmm?"

"We-we can't apparate home. Because-you know, we'd probably splinch ourselves" Luna cracked up.

Hermione started to laugh hysterically. "You're right, but that's ok. We'll take the knight bus"

"Okay! I'm gonna go pee…or puke. I don t know, maybe both. I'll be back" Luna said to her, her eyes were completely glossed over. She turned around and headed off the dance floor in a drunken wobble, leaving Hermione alone and drunk on the dance floor.

Hermione started to get back into her groove; lost in her own world. She loved this song. She didn't actually know the song that was playing. But she decided she loved it anyway. She let her hands sway and move to the music as her hips shook and dropped to the beat. She was running her hands across her midsection as she caressed herself. It didn't matter what she looked like, she felt sexy and amazing.

She felt someone's hands grab onto her waist and pull her against their body. She went with it, pushing her ass back against them as she started to dance into them. She closed her eyes and leaned back against them as she continued to move.

The person behind her was feeling the music in the same time she was. Their bodies swayed in perfect harmony, moving side to side. When she pushed her hips back, he responded and moved back with her. When she craved friction he thrust forward against her. When she rolled back, he rolled back. When she raised his arms, he ran his hands down her body and flowed them along with the beat. She hated to admit it, but whoever this perfect stranger was, he was turning her on.

She didn't even think, as she turned her body around and wrapped her arms around this mystery person and found her lips locked against there's.

Her mind exploded. The last man she had kissed other than Ron had been Viktor Krum. Her heart started to race. She was being so naughty, so out of control and she wanted more. She pulled herself closer to the man whose arms she was standing in. He smelled like whiskey. But it tasted good, like sex and spice. She had always found Ron repulsive when he was drunk and had assumed all men would seem the same way. She was wrong. The flavor in her mouth was enticing and all she wanted was more.

She pulled back for air and continued to hold onto the man's shoulders. She was far too drunk to stand on her own. Her eyes were still shut as she swooned in a haze.

"Granger?"

Her eyes shot open. She looked up at the man who had spoken in front of her. He was tall, not as tall as Ron, but average. He had incredible upper body definition from what she could tell from holding onto his arms. His eyes were piercingly silver and his hair was blonde and wispy as it fell into his face. Her drunken mind placed these observations together like a puzzle.

"…Malfoy?" she slurred.

He smirked at her. "Holy shit. It really is you isn't it?" he had the same glossed over look in his eyes as she and Luna.

"What are-what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I come here every once in a while but I've never seen you here before"

"I don't do this. I don't come to places like this" she couldn't believe she was talking to Draco Malfoy. Had she been sober she would have told him to jump off the same cliff she wanted to send Ron off of and left the club immediately. But she was drunk and therefore feeling generous and forgiving. Not to mention, she had already kissed him. What harm could talking cause?

"You look great" he shouted over the music as the volume picked up again.

"So do you" she returned.

"Did you come here alone?"

"No. I came with Luna"

"Luna Lovegood?" he asked.

"Yeah"

"Where is she?"

Hermione shrugged. She knew Luna had told her where she was going but she couldn't remember what she'd said. "I think she went home"

"Did she really?"

"Yeah, I think so" Hermione nodded with certainty.

They started to move with the music again. Hermione's hips were still pressed up dangerously close to Malfoy's.

"You're a really good kisser" Hermione shouted over the music

"Thanks. So are you" Draco returned.

Hermione cracked up laughing. "I can't believe I'm talking to you"

"Yeah, me too" he joined her in laughing but he didn't let go. "I can't believe how you look"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you've always look beautiful. But you…you just look fucking hot tonight"

"What do you mean I've always looked beautiful?" she had a goofy grin on her face.

He just shrugged. "I think you're hot" he repeated.

"Are you hitting on me?"

"I think so" he laughed as he nodded his head.

"I'm getting a divorce" she admitted out of the blue.

"From who? Weasley or Potter?"

"Weasley"

"Fuck him. You're better off"

She shrugged. Her drunken state started to take a dark turn on her as she started to remember all of the reasons why her life sucked. Her gaze changed; she stopped dancing and got lost her in thoughts. A frown covered her face. She was about to cry again.

"Hey!" Draco snapped her out of the trance. He put his finger under her chin and turned her to face him. "Fuck him" he repeated. "He's an idiot. You're too beautiful to be with an idiot"

She forced herself to smile. Before she could make up her mind on whether she wanted to be happy-destructive drunk or sad-depressed drunk she felt Draco's lips press against hers again.

It felt so good and wrong to be kissing him. She couldn't stop. She didn't want to.

"We should leave" Draco yelled out loud enough for her to hear him.

"Yeah, okay"

Before she could realize where she was going, she found herself being dragged off of the dance floor; following Draco Malfoy as she held onto his hand tightly. They made their way outside of the club and stood outside. It was dark outside apart from the street lights. The warm night air blew past them.

"I can't apparate." Hermione admitted, "I'm way too drunk"

He smiled at her, proud of his ability to think ahead. "I'm way too sloshed myself to do much of anything. I brought a port key" he pulled a key chain out of his pocket.

"You're a god damn genius"

"I know"

Hermione took hold of the key chain that was in his hand and soon they were spinning out of control. They landed in a dark room.

"Sorry about that, _lumos_" Draco lit up his wand. They walked down the hallway to a room at the end of the hall. He opened it. Everything inside was black, silver and green. There was a large four poster bed in the center back end of the room.

"Welcome to my house" he said as he shut the door behind him.

"When did you move out of the manor?" she remembered the manor, she would never forget being tortured there.

"I didn't like the memories that place held, so I moved" he shrugged. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"I think I've drank way too much already." She reached her hand out and braced herself against the wall. She was still spinning. She had never been this drunk before.

'Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm just…I'm really drunk"

"So what happened between you and Weasel?"

She couldn't believe he had actually just called him that after so many years. She shook her head, "I don't want to talk about it"

"Fair enough" he sat down on his bed. She walked over and sat down next to him.

Her head felt so heavy, she didn't want to hold it up .anymore. She let it drop over and rest on Draco's shoulder. He craned his neck down and caught her lips. Suddenly he pushed her back to lie down on the bed; their lips still connected as he started to lift her shirt up.

"Malfoy, what are we doing?" she felt her control spiraling away from her. She continued let him touch her, lifting her shirt over her arms. Thinking took too much control and all she wanted to do was lose control

"Just go with it" his lips met their way to her naval and started to kiss her all over the surface of her stomach.

Her heart started to race. It had been months since she had been touched like this. She didn't care that she was drunk, she wanted more. She did something very un-Hermione like and pulled her pants down to the floor.

Draco looked taken back. "You don't waste time do you?"

"I can't believe I'm doing this" she grabbed Draco by his collar and thrust him against her into a hot kiss. He started to work at his own pants and soon they were on the floor next to Hermione's. He pulled apart from their steamy kiss just long enough to take his own shirt off.

Hermione reached back and started to fumble with her bra clasp. She was too drunk to figure it out. Draco reached back and undid it with one attempt. Even drunk, he was more graceful then she was. Her chest was completely exposed to him now. His hands wasted no time in exploring her body. She felt him everywhere.

Before she was able to comprehend what was happening, her panties were gone and he had placed himself inside of her. He was considerably larger than Ron. If she hadn't been completely intoxicated she would of have had difficulty fitting him inside of her.

He didn't seem to have encountered any resistance as he filled her to the hilt.

Hermione was a vocal woman. Her cries and moans poured out without reservation as she let Draco have his way with her. He could have done anything he'd like and she would have let him do it. She didn't care anymore. She was letting go and caving into temptation.

"Weasley must not have been much endowed. You're tighter than ever Granger" growled Draco with a devilish smile on his face as he proceeded to pull out of her to his tip and then thrust aggressively and fully back into her.

"Don't-ohhhh-don't' talk about him", his thrusting compromised her ability to speak correctly.

He ignored her, "When's the last time he touched you like this?" he started to rub his thumb against her clit and her moans increased substantially. The sounds of her pleasure traveled down his spine and shot through him like electricity, causing him to moan out in response.

"I can't even remember" she let her body lay back and felt pleasure overcome her as her eyes forced shut.

"Faster" she pleaded.

He leaned back over her and responded to her request, moving faster and faster until she came beneath him. He didn't stop. The feeling of her cumming around him was what he had needed to send him over his peak. He groaned out as he came right after her.

It took a few seconds for Hermione to catch her breath after he had pulled out of her. He lay down next to her on his back. The covers felt so warm beneath her and she was exhausted. She let herself roll over onto her side and cuddle up next to his body.

"I'm so drunk Malfoy" she mumbled into his chest. Even with her eyes closed she felt like she was still spinning from all the alcohol she had consumed.

She pulled herself closer to him and in moments she had fallen asleep in his bed, lying in the arms of a man who was everything her husband never was.

A:N/ And there it is! The Chapter we've all been waiting for! The arrival of Draco in the story. Only took eight chapters. Hahaha. If you want to read more Draco/Hermione, check out my other Story- The Possibility.

Also, if you haven't already done so, you should check out TurnCoat by Elizaye. It's incredible. And, while Turncoat is amazing, her fanfic Vengenance has to be my favorite fanfic of all time! So check it out!

Thanks for reading! Keep reviewing! It makes me happy.

Okay, my mini oreos are calling my name now...Om nom nom.


	9. Always A Morning After

.Tap.

Hermione scrunched up her face. She felt like she'd been run over by a bulldozer and then had her head set on fire. She opened her mouth and then shut it. Her mouth was incredibly dry as if all the water in her body had been drained out. She started to sit up and immediacy felt dizzy.

So this is what a hangover felt like.

.Tap.

She rubbed her eyes and looked to where the tapping noise was coming from. There was an owl perched next to her on the bed, tapping it's beak against her head. It wasn't helping.

"Shoo" she pushed it away. It fell off of the bed and onto the floor for a second but immediately hopped back up to annoy her some more.

"Fine, fine. Give it here." She grabbed the note that was tied to it's leg.

_Hermione, where are you? Neville came and picked me up last night from the club and I left with him because I couldn't find you. I assumed you had found a safe way home. I hope so. Owl me back so that I know you're okay.-Luna_

She groaned. When had she left the club? She couldn't remember. She thought back to the night prior. She remembered lemon drops…long islands….vodka crans…lots of them…and whiskey…wait, she didn't drink whiskey…

She felt a stirring next to her and shot up, awake. She looked at the man lying beside her and almost screamed.

Oh god.

If it wouldn't have caused her to, most likely, puke she would have started to hyperventilate in that moment. Draco turned around, still completely asleep and put his arm around her naked body.

Naked.

Hermione was naked,

Hermione was naked in a bed with Draco Malfoy.

A very naked Draco Malfoy.

His covers were pulled down towards the end of the bed, leaving nothing to the imagination.

If they were both naked in bed together…did that mean that they…

Oh God.

It repulsed her to do it, but she stuck a finger between her legs to check herself. Her face cringed.

Oh God.

She'd had sex…

With Draco Malfoy…

Last night…

In this bed…

His bed…

She, Hermione Granger, had engaged in a one night stand. She felt like panicking. What kind of a woman was she turning into?

She didn't know how yet, but she was going to find a way to blame Ron for this happening. Yes, if he hadn't done what he did, she wouldn't have been out drinking and she would never have fallen into bed with the sexy git beside her.

Draco seemed to be a pretty heavy sleeper. She pulled her legs off of the bed and slowly slithered herself out of his grasp.

She frantically began to search for her clothes. They were tangled with his in a pile on the floor.

What the hell had she been wearing?

That wasn't important right now. What mattered was getting out of Malfoy's house before he woke up and remembered what they had done.

She pulled her tight skirt back up to her waist and pulled her shirt back on. She picked her heels up off of the ground and looked at them. Her feet were still hurting; she quickly decided that shoes were unnecessary.

She stepped forward and apparated back to her own place.

Her balance was unsteady as she arrived. She threw her heels down on the floor and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

_Luna, I'm home. I'm fine. Sorry I left early last night. Glad you're okay- Hermione_

She rolled up the note and sent it off with her owl.

Her hand clasped over her mouth as she thought over what she had done. She felt queasy. She needed water. She walked over to the sink and poured herself a tall glass of water and gulped it down. She quickly refilled her glass and brought it upstairs with her.

She needed a shower. She smelled like cologne and whiskey. She smelled like Malfoy.

The clearer her mind became the more she started to remember last night.

They had been dancing…then he pulled her out of the club and they had gone to his place. She didn't remember how they had gotten to his place or when, but they had obviously gotten there at some point last night.

She walked into her bathroom and turned on the shower after stripping out of her club clothes. If you could even call them clothes.

They were sitting on the bed and then they were kissing. Who had made the first move? Him or her? She couldn't remember.

She stepped into the shower and let the water rinse the glitter off her body.

He must have been the one to initiate everything. There's no way she could have been the one to make the first move. She'd never been that kind of person when it came to sex and flirting.

Her body was lathered up with bubbles. The smell of sex and liquor were slowly washing away.

Hermione strained her mind trying to remember the sex. She knew they had done it, but how was it? Did it really matter how it was? Probably not.

She frowned. The more sober she became the more she realized that she was slightly sore in her lower region. Evidence that Malfoy, had indeed, been there.

Then Ron popped into her thoughts. What would he think of her having sex with their arch nemesis, more than ten years after Hogwarts?

He would be livid. She knew it.

She didn't even try to suppress the smile that overcame her. Good. Maybe she should tell him. Let him know that she had shagged a Slytherin and she had liked it.

Did she like it? She didn't know, she couldn't remember.

No, she couldn't say anything to anyone. If she could barely remember last night then Malfoy, for sure, wasn't going to remember anything either. It would have taken a fair bit of alcohol to cause him to be willing to shag a mudblood like her.

Then she remembered what she truly was to him. Dirty blood. All the years of bullying swarmed her memories and filled her up with shame.

Ron might have been horrible to her, but in all fairness, Draco hadn't been much better to her. She just kept letting men use her and abuse her it seemed.

Don't have respect for Hermione granger? Great! Come line up, she'd love to date you, marry you and then let you stomp all over her heart and mind before deserting her completely!

She growled and pressed her fist against the shower wall. Why did she keep fucking up her life so badly?

She turned off the shower and stepped out. She glared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Why do you keep doing this to me? Don't know do you? Fucking idiot" she growled again and started to get dressed in clothes that she wasn't ashamed to wear in public.

She was going to put this last night behind her and never think on it again. If no one knew, then it never happened.

/

Draco woke up in the early afternoon. Why was the light on? He reached for his wand and turned it back off. How much had he drunk the night before?

He reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out a potion to cure hangovers. He tiled it back and consumed the entire vial. Much better. It was easier to think when every sensation didn't feel like a sledge hammer to his brain.

He turned over and saw how messed up his sheets were. They smelled like a girl had been there the night before. If so, where was she? He'd never had a girl skip out on him before. Whenever he had one night stands he usually had the privilege of enjoying an encore the next morning.

The bathroom door was open, so she wasn't in there.

He got up, confused, and walked outside of his room after throwing a towel across his waist that had been hanging on the bathroom door. The rest of his house was empty. No girl.

He sat down in his living room and tried to recollect the night before, furrowing his brow. He was at his favorite haunt and he was dancing with a girl. More so, she was dancing on him. Who was she again?

He remembered long brown, wavy, wild hair. Brown eyes, curved hips and soft skin.

He had an idea of who it was but he had to think on it for another moment.

Then he leaned his head back as he started to laugh. Holy shit, he bedded the mudblood last night, didn't' he? That would explain why she was nowhere to be found. He thought she had been married. Had Hermione just cheated on her dear husband with him last night and left his house that morning in a walk of shame?

He couldn't stop smiling. Wow, never in his life would he have imagined that happening.

The night rapidly continued to come back to him. What returned the most distint was how vocal she had been. How much her moans and cries had turned him on. He couldn't help but feel aroused at the memory.

He wondered what she was doing now. Was she thinking about him, hoping he was going to contact her? Probably not, if she wanted this to happen again she probably would have woken him up before she dashed out of his house. Maybe she was confessing her horrible mistake to Weasley right now; begging him to forgive her.

He felt a wave of relief that he didn't have to worry about relationship dramas anymore. Draco was single. He'd been married a couple of times already. Once to Astoria Greengrass. Their marriage hadn't gone very far. It lasted almost two years.

Back then, he'd had a very bad habit of doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. That included cheating on Astoria with any witch he'd felt like sleeping with. Apparently, women didn't appreciate that very much.

After Astoria left him, he genuinely tried to turn over a new leaf and work on his character. He got back in contact with Pansy Parkinson and they hit it off pretty well. She had really been a great wife, completely devoted to him. But he had never loved her. They were friends who happened to be married.

That time it was Pansy who had cheated on him and left him after 3 years of attempted marriage. He had it coming, he figured, after the way he had treated Astoria.

So for the past four years of his life, Draco had enjoyed the guilt free life of being a bachelor. His life was pretty easy going. He didn't have to work much; he mainly lived off of his family's wealth.

His father had passed away a few years ago while serving another sentence in Azkaban that he had been condemned to after the war. His mother passed away shortly after that, stricken with grief and depression. It bothered him if he thought about it too much, so for the most part he avoided thinking of his parents. Their memories were just another reason why he had sold the manor and gotten his own place.

The manor alone had brought him a pretty fortune. The place was ridden with history. He'd had no problems selling it at price that far exceeded it's value.

After accepting the fact that there was no witch wandering around his house and that he had slept with Hermione Granger the night prior he decided it would be best if he put some clothes on. He walked back to his room and got dressed for the rest of his day.

A:N/ So, I'm pretty excited about where this story is going. I got a huge wave of inspiration and got another three chapters written. Woohoo! So I will be editing those and working on getting them posted. I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors I make. I do most of my writing between the hours of 3 am and 7 am. For some reason, I write best when I'm sleep deprived. Who knows why?

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Didn't get much feed back on chapter 8, so I'm not sure if people just weren't feeling the whole "club" thing or what but I urge you to not give up on the story just yet! It gets pretty interesting. (What am I talking about? Who knows? You'll have to just keep reading! Mwuaha!) Keep writing those reviews, they keep me going! Thank you! x


	10. Intellectual Encounter

Over a month had passed by since that night at the club. Hermione had managed to push it out of her memory and pretend it had never happened.

Hermione picked up her stack of mail and began to rifle through it. There was another letter from her attorney going over the splits that were being proposed by Ron's attorney concerning their estate. Ron was being very generous and cooperative about the whole divorce. She hoped the guilt was eating him alive.

She would get to the keep the house, the library, and half of their financial accounts and investments. This was more than he had to offer since he made substantially more than she did.

She responded back to the letter saying that she didn't find anything disagreeable with the proposal and that they could continue with drafting a rough draft of what would turn into their final divorce agreements.

Hermione finally brought herself to go to the ministry the week before, and had gotten her name changed from Hermione Weasley back to Hermione Granger. Weasley had never sat well with her first name. It always had an awkward flow to it. She preferred her maiden name any day. Going back to her maiden name had been an easy change to get accustom to.

She was still living in her sitting room. Her bedroom held the allure of a place she didn't want to venture to. It contained their martial bed. It felt cursed to go in there alone. It was silly and superstitious but she just wasn't ready to sleep in what had once been their shared bed.

Progress was slow but she was claiming her life back one day at a time. She had even gone back to her work at the library. It was the one thing in her life that was completely hers. Ron hadn't helped her with the library in any way other than being financially supportive. She had put all the time and work into establishing it from the ground up. It was the greatest pride of her life.

She had completed so many goals in the last few weeks. Including, organizing the group of magical mentors to help aid muggle families in adjusting to their children getting acclimated into the wizarding world the she had been trying to establish for months

The Daily Prophet was the last thing in her pile of mail that she got to look through. She unrolled it and nearly laughed. Their divorce had finally leaked.

There was an article all about the broken romance of the two beloved war heroes. Such a tragedy! Oh well, the world still had Ginny and Harry to inspire them. They didn't need Ron and Hermione anymore.

She grinned deviously. Pretty soon the world would know what kind of a low life bastard Ron really was. He wouldn't be able to hide his perfect little family from the world's gaze forever.

Still, she knew that the slander would be minimal. Ron had too many strings he could pull with the ministry. She wouldn't be surprised if he had used the ministry to help conceal his double life for as long as he did. Her eyes rolled as she ripped the article out of its place. She looked over it one last time and threw it into the trash.

Thinking of him was making her tired. Her life was different now. It was new. _Her_ priorities were what mattered. At that thought, she glanced around her house. Her priorities may have been a bit skewed at the moment. Her house was a mess. She had fired the house maintenance crew to save expenses. Perhaps she should have kept a couple of them on hand after all.

To ease her guilt, she picked up a few things before leaving to work at the library.

Her staff seemed to genuinely enjoy having her around more often. She felt appreciated, welcomed and needed.

That day she was focusing on a new section of the library she was hoping to open within the next couple months. It was to be a section comprised of all muggle literature. It would take Hermione the next two months at least to narrow down a few hundred titles that she wanted to showcase. There were too many books in the world, Hermione decided. She wished she could carry them all in her library.

It took Hermione twice as long to go through books and make a decision because as soon as she opened up a cover to glance through it, she would begin to read until she had finished. It didn't matter if she'd read the book twenty times prior. It was a time costing habit and not a convenient one to have when operating a library.

Her passion for reading had been ignited again. Now that she felt it was once again a privilege in her life, instead of her only option of entertainment.

Her biological clock seemed to quiet down over the last month as well. She still yearned for motherhood but the drive wasn't making her crazy and ruling her life anymore. The urge to take care of herself surpassed her need to help others at this point in her life. It felt healthy.

Hermione was re-reading pride and prejudice when one of her staff rapped at the doorway. She looked up.

"Amelia, is everything alright?' Hermione asked.

"Yes Mrs. Weasley-"

"Granger" Hermione corrected.

"Right, sorry. It's going to take some getting used to"

"Yes, I know. It's okay. What did you need?"

"Well, we have a guest downstairs who is looking for a particular book. We can't find it anywhere in our selection and we haven't been able to direct him to any references where he find the book. I know that you know a bit more about rare titles than most of us, and thought maybe you could help him out?" explained Amelia. She seemed a tad ashamed that she hadn't been able to help the man herself with her own personal knowledge of books.

Hermione shut the book in front of her and followed Amelia downstairs.

"He's over by the potions section. I told him you'd be coming down" said Amelia walking away from Hermione to help a guest waiting at the check-out counter.

"Thank you Amelia" Hermione walked into the next room.

The man was facing the book shelf and was pulling a book down from its place. He rustled through the first few pages before setting it back.

Hermione saw him from the back and froze in her steps. The first thing she noticed was the blonde hair.

Malfoy.

"Fuck me…" she muttered. She took a deep breath. She would handle this professionally. He probably wasn't here to bother her. Maybe he genuinely needed to find a book. If he had wanted to torment her about that fateful night a month ago he would have done so by now.

"Ahem" she cleared her throat to announce her arrival before she walked towards him. He turned around. They caught eyes and he froze. He seemed as shocked to see her as she had been to see him.

That was a relief.

"Malfoy" she acknowledged him.

"It's Weasley right?" asked Draco with uncertainty.

"Not anymore" she cringed. She realized it would take time for her to stop being affiliated with her soon to be ex-husband but it was getting old really fast.

"Oh right, sorry. I read it in the prophet this morning. Are you okay?" He hoped that he hadn't been the cause for their split. The article didn't specify when their separation had actually started.

"I'm fine" she nodded and smiled. She wanted to get off of the topic, "Can I help you find something?"

"Uh, yeah actually. I'm looking for a particular book. It's a potions text. I realize it's rare but a friend recommended your library to me. He thought you may be able to help."

"What's the title?"

"_Prohibitum Liquamentum"_

She knew of the book. It was old and it was rare. "I do have the book, just not here. It's in my personal collection actually"

He looked shocked, his eye brows raised and his eyes got a bit wider, "Really? I-I didn't actually think you'd have it. That's great! Would you be willing to lend the book out? For a cost of course. I understand that it's very valuable and you wouldn't want to lend it out to just anyone." He was excited to have found what he was looking for.

"Can I ask what you need it for? There are some pretty…interesting things in there" It was chalk full of dark magic, that's what it was.

He shrugged. "Hobby mostly. I have too much free time than what's healthy. I've basically bored myself to death with making the same potions over and over again the past couple of years and I need a challenge."

"You're not intending on using it for any dark purposes?"

"No"

She looked at him suspiciously. "I'd have to think about it"

"What would your price be? Have you considered selling it" Draco pressed. He didn't like no's and he didn't like maybes.

"I'm not selling it" Hermione laughed. "That book is priceless."

"Nothing is priceless"

"That book is priceless" Hermione repeated herself.

"Look, I'd be willing to put it down on paper that I don't have any intentions other than intellectual curiosity. I swear to you." Draco pleaded holding his hands up in a surrendering mannerism. He tried to use a bit of his charm on her as he smiled innocently. It had worked on her once, after all.

She couldn't understand why he wasn't bringing up the past and making her feel like garbage for caving into her drunken impulses. He hadn't poked or pressed any of her buttons. He hadn't called her mudblood or anything. She looked at him suspiciously.

"I have to think about it" she insisted. "I'll let you know soon. I promise"

He fought the urge to argue. He could tell it wasn't going to get him anywhere this time."Fine. How soon?"

"Within the week"

"Okay" he accepted.

"Was there anything else I could help you with?"

"No, that was all. Thanks"

"You're welcome." She turned around and started to walk away.

Draco called out her name before she left the room, "Granger"

She stopped and looked back at him.

He smiled at her, "It was good to see you again"

She blushed and quickly walked away. He had remembered. She was hoping he had forgotten that entire night.

He hadn't.

A/N: Thanks to all of you who are still following along with the story. Keep reading and reviewing. I love ya for it! Also, be sure to check out my other fanfic - The Possibility. Woohoo shameless plugs! d-_-b


	11. Decisions

Her house was a mess. She stood in the middle of her living room, looking over the disaster zone. It had been a week and she still hadn't decided whether or not she was going to let Draco Malfoy come over to her house to inspect one of her most prized and rarest books. She absolutely loved to share knowledge with others but Hermione's private collection was private for a reason.

The particular book that Draco wanted to see, she'd acquired at an auction Ron had brought her to when they were on a trip in Africa with the minister. Hermione had spent more money on the book then she would ever like to admit.

Hermione walked out of the mess she had been living in and went into her personal library. There was a spell book of cleaning charms in here somewhere. She glanced over the shelves for a few minutes until she found it. It hadn't been used in a few years.

Hermione wasn't a messy person. She was very neat typically. But the last couple of months of her life had been a whirlwind. She'd lost her footing and as a result her tendency to be neat had been drastically compromised. She wrote a few of the more crucial charms down on a piece of parchment and went back out to put them to good use.

/

It took her a good couple of hours to get her home looking the way it once had. She plopped back down onto her couch, exhausted. Even with the help of magic, cleaning was tiring. The exhaustion would be a good reminder for her to not let the mess get out of hand again.

She looked around at her work, satisfied with the result, and tried to remember what had prompted her to clean like that in the first place.

Right, Draco.

What to do about Draco…

Maybe she could bring the book to him? No, bad idea. She didn't want to go back to his house. Last time she'd gone there, things had taken a regrettable turn. The last thing she needed was to go over to his house and have that eventful night flood back into her memory. She still only remembered crucial bits and pieces. That entire night was to forever remain a blur in the memory of her life.

The amused smile Draco had flashed at her at the library came into her mind. If he was intending on coming over and messing around with her, he had another thing coming. He may have been able to take advantage of her when she was completely compromised by alcohol but she was adamant on never letting herself get like that again. He wouldn't be able to try anything with her when she was sober and clear minded.

But he was Malfoy; she didn't owe him any favors. The only thing she did owe him was a good slap across the face for taking advantage of her. The problem was that he'd probably like it.

She frowned, un-amused by the idea of Draco enjoying her slapping him across the face.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Why was she even considering this? Of course it was a bad idea. She should owl him and tell him, sorry but you can't see the book. That would be the end of it. It was her property after all; she could do with it as she pleased.

Then again, what if he regretted that night as much as she had? He hated her throughout school and never had made an attempt to apologize for all of the bullying he subjected her to in the last ten years. Ever since he'd started to call her a mudblood, and other very charming and degrading nicknames, everyone else in Slytherin thought it was appropriate to do so as well. Her time at Hogwarts would have been near perfect if it hadn't been for Draco and Lord Voldemort.

She frowned even more, that wasn't really a fair comparison. But it will still true.

What did he mean by saying it had been good to see her? Maybe he felt guilty. That had to be it. He felt guilty for everything he had done and it was good to see her after all those years. The other night was irrelevant. A meaningless one night stand. It never had to be mentioned again.

They had been alone at the library. If he had wanted to bring it up he would have done so. She was sure of it. The fact that he didn't meant that either, it hadn't matter to him or that he didn't remember.

Hermione was satisfied with that explanation. That meant he most likely held no alternative motives for wanting to see the book. Why not let him see it then?

Her kitchen drawer held spare parchment. She went and retrieved some to write the letter of approval.

_Draco Malfoy,_

_ I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for taking so long to respond to your request concerning "Prohibitum Liquamentum". If you still hold interest in inspecting this text at my personal residence, I would happy to have you. I do not, however, feel comfortable lending it out outside the confides of my home. I'm sure you will understand. _

_ If these terms are well with you, feel free to respond with a time that would be convenient for you and I will let you know if that time matches my own availability._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Hermione Granger_

She wanted the tone of her letter to be clear that this was a professional meet between a librarian and a client. Nothing more. She read it over once more and then sent it off.

It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes when her owl returned with a response in hand.

_How about now?_

She rolled her eyes, he hadn't even bothered to address the letter or sign his name. It was as if the formality of her letter went completely unnoticed by him. She sighed heavily, she might as well go along with it.

She took the letter, turned it over and wrote on the back.

_Sure, why not?_

She quickly wrote out her address at the bottom of the note and rolled up the letter.

The owl extended it's leg and complied as she tied the note down. As soon as the owl took off, Hermione went upstairs to double check that her library was in a fit state to have guest, and went to pull out the book Draco was coming over to see.

A:N/ Yes, this chapter is short. But that's because the next chapter is longer. Don't worry I'll update soon! Keep reading and reviewing!


	12. The Visitor

There was a knock at the door. It must have been Draco arriving. Hermione ran back down the stairs and walked through the kitchen to get the front door.

To her alarm, it wasn't Draco.

"Ron, what are you doing here?"

It had been around two months since she had last seen him. It sent her into a wave of internal conflict. Half of her wanted to punch him in the mouth, the other half wanted to break down into his arms and confess how lonely she'd felt.

She just stood there, frozen in the doorway.

"Hermione, I'm sorry for turning up unexpected like this. I just, I wanted to see if you were okay. Harry and Ginny won't tell me anything about you. They're both pretty upset with me"

"I wonder why" her tone was short.

"Right" he rubbed the back of his neck like he always did when he was uncomfortable. "Can I come in?"

"If you must" she tried to keep her voice as indifferent as possible. It didn't matter what she was feeling, she wasn't going to let Ron into her head.

He leaned against the counter uncomfortably. He looked around the room. "Looks the same"

"Why would I have changed anything?"

He shrugged, "Just thought you might have wanted to make some changes after everything. You know, new beginnings and all that"

"I burned your picture off of the wall" she stated brightly flashing a quick smile at him.

He didn't respond. "Look. I came over because they posted an article about our divorce in the Prophet the other day –"

"I thought you came over to check up on my wellbeing" Hermione said, repeating his initial intentions.

"Well yeah, that too." He quickly added, "Anyway, I'm planning on coming forward about Lavender and the kids before the press comes out with it."

"What does that have to do with me" Hermione asked, shortly.

"That part has nothing to do with you. I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page with this. I don't want to deal with a media frenzy. I need to know if you're going to cause any problems. I'm sure you saw that I'm being more than generous with the estate-"

"You don't have to bribe me into not talking trash about you Ron. I have this unique quality, its called class. You should try to acquire some" she didn't feel like being nice to him anymore.

"Okay, I deserved that" said Ron, accepting that Hermione wasn't going to respond well to him right away, after what had happened between them. "I'm glad that you don't want a public mess to come out of all this either. It's hard enough as it is"

"I bet it's just _so_ hard for you Ron" Hermione agreed sarcastically.

"Look, I'm sorry that I went about things in the way I did. I didn't know how else to tell you. I admit, I should have broken things off earlier-"

"Maybe about five years ago…perhaps?" Hermione suggested out loud.

"Well, I can't change the past Hermione. What's done is done"

"That's right. And that's why we're getting a divorce. Don't worry Ron. I'm not going to tell the world how you broke my heart, shattered my world, and then packed up all your things in one afternoon while I was at work. I'm not going to tell them how you would come home late nearly every night, drunk out of your mind if you came home at all. I'm not going to tell them any our marriage's dirty little secrets."

"Then what are you going to tell them?" he was starting to get irritated.

"Nothing. Why do I need to talk to the press at all? My life is none of their business. It's all you Ron. Whatever you want to tell the press; that's what they'll know."

He nodded, "Okay, good." He shoved his hands into his front pockets. "So, how have you been doing overall? Have you been alright? Do you need money or anything?"

"I'm fine Ron. I can take care of myself"

"I know I just-"

He was interrupted by a knocking at the door.

Shit. She had completely forgotten that Draco was on his way. Ron showing up on her doorstep kind of blew everything else out of mind.

"Expecting company?"

"Yes Ron. I have this thing called my own life now." She walked to the door and opened it.

"Hi Draco" she made sure her smile was warm and huge as she greeted him. She had no initial intention of rubbing Draco in Ron's face. But since the opportunity presented itself, she may as well leave Ron asking questions.

Draco looked very confused at her bright welcome. "Hey…Hermione?" he wasn't used to speaking with her on a first name basis.

"Come in" Hermione moved aside and let him walk in. Ron was craning his head and looking to the door to see if he had heard her right. Draco Malfoy was at his house?

Draco walked in to the kitchen and stood awkwardly in the new surroundings.

"What's he doing here?" Ron's tone picked up a hint of aggression.

"That's not really any of your business Ron" retorted Hermione.

"Did I come at a bad time? I thought you said that right now worked for you. I can leave and come back some other time" Draco offered.

"Sorry Draco. I wasn't expecting Ron. He was just leaving"

"What are you doing here?" Ron repeated, directing his question directly to Draco this time.

Draco didn't appreciate the tone in which Ron was addressing him. He ignored his question completely

"I really don't want to get in the middle of this Hermione" Draco said directly to Hermione instead of responding to Ron.

"You're not in the middle of anything Draco. Like I said before, Ron was just leaving"

"Well you kind of put me in the middle of this a month ago by not telling me you were married" Draco called her out, speaking directly into her ear as she leaned towards her.

Hermione swallowed her breath. He did remember and he thought she had been cheating on Ron.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ron. He had heard what Draco said. He was starting to turn red from the frustration of watching Hermione talk with his most hated enemy.

"None of your business" snapped Hermione.

"No," Ron insisted, "What did he mean by you not telling him you were married?" Ron's fist started to clench.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She prayed for patience as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. This had been a bad idea. She never should have told Draco he could come over.

"What did you mean by that?" Ron roared towards Draco when Hermione continued to ignore him.

Draco looked towards Hermione to speak.

"She took another moment to calm herself before she opened her mouth to speak, "Draco", she started very calmly. "Ron and I have been separated for two months now. We've been in the process of getting a divorce for two months" she emphasized the word two. Making it clear that there had been no foul when they had done…what they did.

"But you were still technically married. Even now-"

"Technically, yes. But I'm pretty sure that the usual rules of fidelity are irrelevant when your husband leaves you for his mistress and two illegitimate children" Hermione lashed out.

"You don't need to tell him that Hermione" Ron scolded her.

"Fuck off Ron" Hermione snapped.

"You said you wouldn't spread trash-"

"I'm not Ron. I'm telling Draco the truth, what _actually_ happened. Draco isn't the press. He's a …friend. I can tell him whatever I please."

"You can't tell him about us-"

"I can tell him whatever I please." Hermione repeated. "You don't have a say in my life anymore Ronald"

Draco stood there watching the two of them bicker. This was quite the predicament he had gotten himself into. "Like I said before, "he interjected, "do you want me to leave?"

"Yes" said Ron.

"No" stated Hermione over Ron's response. "We're going to keep our appointment. If you want to see the book, you'll stay."

"So what exactly did the two of you do?" Ron asked with venom in his voice.

Draco was incredibly uncomfortable now. He should have just kept his mouth shut and waited for the Weasel to leave and spoken to Hermione in private. He had a bad habit of acting before he thought things out sometimes.

Hermione pursed her lips, she wasn't going to say it. She still didn't want to admit that it had even happened.

Draco looked at Hermione. She was avoiding the question. She wasn't going to say anything. Great. Whatever, he wasn't in a relationship with Ron. What did he care? He might as well let it spill.

"We had sex" Draco stated quickly. There, it was out. The elephant in the room had been acknowledged.

Hermione and Ron both went rigid at the same time for completely different reasons.

Hermione looked up to the ceiling as if expecting it to burst open and provide her with a distraction or a way out of this moment.

"No you didn't" said Ron in disbelief.

Hermione might as well come to terms with it now.

"Yes, yes we did"

There, she'd said it. It was no longer a mutilated and regrettable memory that she could just store away and ignore. It was reality. A part of her actual past that Draco acknowledged and Ron now knew about. Fantastic.

"For how long?" his voice was shaking in anger.

"What?" Hermione looked to him confused.

"How long have you…and Malfoy…" he gritted between his teeth.

"Oh for Merlin's sake! You're an idiot Ron. I'm not you. I haven't been sleeping around behind your back pretending to be loyal, pretending to love you. I had a one night stand, that's all. I barely remember it. In fact if I hadn't woken up at Malfoy's house I might not have even remembered it happened!"

Ouch. Draco cringed. That wasn't the usual experience he left girls with after a night in his bed. It sounded a lot worse when she said it in the way she just had.

"Still, you fucked a Malfoy" Ron yelled.

"Yup, and you fucked a dim witted slut for five years! Who cares? My sex life had never been a concern of yours when we were married Ron Weasley and now that we're getting a divorce, my sex life is still none of your god damn business! I can fuck who I want, whenever I want and you can't do anything about it. And, by the way, I hope that the thought of me fucking Malfoy, regardless of my mental state, drives you fucking crazy. I hope it keeps you up at night. Because I fucking hate you for what you did to me and nothing I could do will ever hurt you as much as you hurt me!" she'd snapped. She hadn't tried to lose control but she couldn't help it. Her rage had just consumed her and exploded. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. Neither Draco nor Ron said a word.

"At least Lavender isn't frigid" Ron finally spat back at her after a moment of stunned silence. His tone was low and condescending He sounded absolutely pissed.

"Ha!" Hermione choked out. She was about to lash out at him again but Draco cut in before she had the chance.

"You know what Weasel? Hermione may not be able to remember that night very well, but I do and I can tell you that the _last_ word to describe her performance would be frigid. Maybe you just weren't doing it right all of those years." Hermione was shocked that he had just stepped in and defended her. He kept going, "And I find it funny that, even pissed out of my mind, I'm a better fuck than you ever were"

"I'd imagine it doesn't take very much to please a slut" Ron directed his response at Hermione before glaring at them both.

"Well, you would know Ron" said Hermione. She had never felt this angry in her life.

They stood there for a moment in the angry tension that filled the room.

"I think you should go" said Hermione to Ron.

Ron spoke to Hermione again as if she'd lost her mind, "You do realize that his is the same jerk who tormented you for four years in school don't you?"

"Okay Ron, let's turn this into a pissing contest to see who the bigger jerk is, why don't we? Draco, yes, bullied me for four years. You, on the other hand, cheated on me and lied to me through five years of marriage. Looks like you won that one Ron! Congratulations! Now get the fuck out of my house!"

"Whatever Hermione", Ron addressed Draco. "You'll find out soon enough that she's not worth much"

"Fuck you!" shouted Hermione. Ron walked past the two of them and out the door. Hermione slammed the door angrily behind him as she screamed out in frustration.

She was crying, but it wasn't because she was sad. She was so incredibly angry. Her body was shaking with rage.

She stood there for a minute just trying to calm herself. She took a deep breath in and then let it out, repeat.

"Don't take anything he says seriously. Trust me, I've been through two divorces now and it's not worth it to take stock in fights like these. It'll blow over then you'll be out of each other's lives soon enough. It will get better" Draco spoke to break the silence and clear the tension from the room.

"You were married?" Hermione asked surprised. She had a hard time picturing Draco walking down an aisle.

"Twice" Draco repeated. His tone suggested that he wasn't amused that she'd found that so hard to believe. "Do you want a cup of tea to help you calm down?"

Hermione shook her head, "This is my house. You're my guest. I'll make you tea" she started to throw open the cupboards and pull out her kettle, tea leaves and mugs. Her hands were still shaking as she filled the kettle with water.

She put the kettle on the stove. She struggled to open her filter cage in order to put the tea leaves in. She felt Draco's hand reach out and grab her wrist to stop her.

"Here, I got it" he took over and continued to make the tea. Hermione gave up her effort and sat down at the table.

"I'm sorry about all of that" she felt embarrassed now that she was beginning to calm down.

"Don't be. I understand. Like I said, I've been through it. On both sides of the fence"

"What do you mean?"

Draco turned around and handed her a mug of tea. "Milk? Sugar?"

She nodded, "Please"

It was odd to have Draco in her house making her tea. Especially since he had never been to her home before this. He didn't even seem fazed by it though.

Draco set down the sugar bowl and poured a small amount of milk in her glass before sitting down next to her, his own mug in hand.

"I cheated on my first wife for basically the entire length of our marriage" he admitted.

Hermione pulled her mug up to her lips and blew at it to test the temperature as she listened to him. To her surprise it was the perfect degree of warm. She tipped the mug back and drank. He was better at making tea than her. Damn him.

"Then, as fate would have it, my second wife cheated on me for basically the entire length of my second marriage." He smiled at her and took a sip of his tea. He made a bitter face and reached for more sugar. "I think you need new tea leaves"

Hermione shrugged, "I haven't been shopping in a while"

He nodded in understanding, "It takes a while to get used to things again. Don't rush yourself"

They sat there drinking in an awkward silence.

"So…you remember that night then?" Hermione broke the weirdness between them first.

He nodded, "Sort of", a bit of a smile crept onto his face.

"I was pretty drunk…" Hermione blushed. She stood up and grabbed the kettle and refilled both of their glasses.

"Yeah, I was too"

"I never do things like that" she wanted to make it clear that she was not the girl he had experienced the other night. There would be no replay of that night. It was a once in a lifetime event. He had been at the right place at the wrong time.

"I figured as much. You bolted before I even woke up"

"Sorry. I kind of freaked out"

"It's alright" he shrugged. He wasn't mad about it.

"Did you mean it…what you said to Ron? You know, after he called me frigid?"

"He's such a fucktard" replied Draco avoiding the question. "It made me angry that he spoke to you like that"

"You didn't have to defend me like that-"

"Yes I did" he insisted.

There was another long pause.

"Thank you"

"No problem" said Draco looking down at his tea.

"Did you want to take the book back with you?"

"I thought you said you didn't want it to leave your house?" asked Draco, surprised at her offer.

She shrugged, "I did but…if you wanted to take it, I'd be okay with it"

Draco thought for a second. "How about I just come back tomorrow and check it out here?"

She pondered his suggestion for a moment before nodding. "Okay"

He smiled and set his tea down, "Great." He stood up and pushed his chair in. "I'll see you tomorrow then Hermione. Have a better night"

"Thanks Draco, I'll try to"

He gave her a quick smile, then turned and left.

A:N/ What? Two Updates in one night? Madness! I know! Enjoy! Make sure you review, review, review! Thanks! x


	13. Friendly Lunch

Hermione woke up to a steaming letter hovering over her face. It was a howler. She quickly woke up and shoved her pillow over her ears as it started to quiver until it exploded.

"Hermione Granger, what in the world is wrong with you? I know that my brother is the scum of the earth, but have you lost your mind? Screwing around with Malfoy, of all people, is not going to even out the playing field! You should have more self-respect for yourself than that. Ron told me everything about the two of you. I am so disappointed with you. How long have you been hiding this from us? And eye for an eye makes the whole world blind Hermione, you know that. Yes, you sleeping with Malfoy is seriously pissing off my brother but it's holding you back! You're so much better than this!"

The letter fizzled as it turned into ash, leaving Ginny's voice ringing through the room.

Hermione couldn't believe that Ron had ran off and told Ginny about her and Malfoy. Now Harry would know and soon Luna and Neville would as well. Ugh, he was such an immature jerk. She realized that letting all of her friends know had probably not been his intention. He had probably just been venting to his sister about what happened. It wasn't like he could go to Lavender and moan about how his soon to be ex-wife had slept with someone else and he didn't like it.

Hermione put her face into her pillow and groaned. She would have to explain what happened to her friends so that they would know that she was not in a relationship or an affair with Draco. She had just drunk way to much alcohol one night and went home with the wrong person. Not a big deal.

Draco had been surprisingly nice about the whole thing. It confused her. Had he rubbed that night in her face, then came over and made fun of her situation with Ron she would have known exactly how to respond. That's what she had always expected from him. But instead, he'd not only been kind and polite about everything, he'd defended her! Granted, the fact that he hated Ron nearly as much as Hermione hated him right now probably helped. But still, the effort counted for something.

On top of that, his interest in books was impressive and slightly attractive. Maybe they could be friends? If he'd gotten over his obsession with blood purity he may even be interested in helping her sort out her new section at the library. Hermione laughed at the idea of Draco reading muggle literature. She wondered how he would react to Macbeth and Faustus.

She would have to do some chaos control with her friends. But first, breakfast.

Hermione grabbed herself a couple pieces of toast with bread and jam and ate while she wrote on a piece of parchment.

_Draco, _

_ Are we still on for today? If so, please don't arrive until four. _

She sent the owl off and then pulled out another two pieces of parchment. These letters were identical but she sent one to Harry and Ginny's and the other to Neville and Luna's.

_So, it looks like I have some explaining to do. Please don't listen to Ron. He's mad and stupid. Not a very good combination for him. If you wanted to come over for lunch around noon, I'd be happy to clarify what he told you. _

Hermione read over the letter again. She wasn't very fond her wording but it would have to do. She sent the owls off and got dressed for the day.

/

Her original plan had been to work at the library until the afternoon but she could set back her book organizing for another day. She had some materials here at home she could go through. Even if it wasn't much, it was still progress.

Hermione had whipped together some burgers and chips for their little lunch date. Luna and Neville were the first to arrive.

"Hey Luna" she pulled her into a friendly hug before extending the same affection to Neville.

"Hermione, what was it that Ron supposedly told us?" asked Luna.

"Ginny didn't tell you yet?"

"No, we have no idea what your owl was actually about. But we weren't going to turn down a free lunch" said Neville as he helped himself to the food on the table.

"I didn't say anything because I figured Hermione was going to invite the two of you as well" said Ginny as her and Harry arrived.

She didn't look very happy with Hermione, neither did Harry. He didn't say a word to her until they were all seated at the table with food.

"What's going on with you Hermione?" he finally asked her.

"Luna, you remember the night you took me out to the club?"

Luna nodded as she chewed a mouth full of food. "Mmmhmm"

"Well, I've never gotten that drunk before in my life"

Luna couldn't help but smile sheepishly. Neville looked over at her disapprovingly. "Yeah, neither had Luna. I had to practically levitate her to get her up the stairs"

"We had fun though…"said Luna softly. She knew she shouldn't be smiling, it wasn't funny. But it had been such a fun night.

"Yeah, sort of." admitted Hermione. "Until I went home with Draco Malfoy"

"You what?" spat Harry. Ginny gave her a nauseous look.

"I mean, I was really drunk and I don't think I really realized it was him" Hermione defended herself. "Anyway, nothing more happened after that. Ron telling you that I was having some kind of affair behind his back is complete bollocks."

"So, what was Malfoy doing at your place last night then?" interrogated Ginny.

"He's coming over today too"

Harry looked absolutely stunned. Was he hearing her right? This wasn't the Hermione Granger he knew.

"But, it's for completely profession reasons. After that night at the club, I never contact him and he never contacted me. Nothing happened after that. Draco came into my library last week with an interest in one of my private titles. He was here to look at a book that's all. Ron invited himself over at a bad time and things escalated quickly. Ron was angry and he twisted what was actually said when he talked to you Ginny."

"Why does Malfoy need to come back again today then if he was here yesterday?" questioned Neville.

"He didn't get a chance to look at the book yesterday because he got caught in the middle of mine and Ron's fight."

"And you're okay with having Malfoy over at your house as if he was one of your old school friends?" accused Ginny.

"He's been very nice to me"

"Because you slept with him" justified Harry.

Hermione shot him a very un-amused glance, "I don't think so Harry. He was quite drunk for that as well. I don't think either of us meant for it to happen and it's not going to happen again. If Draco and I decide to become friends then that's my choice-"

"Don't do this because you're angry with Ron, Hermione. It's not worth it to waste your energy on revenge" said Neville.

Hermione was getting a bit frustrated. Why couldn't they understand that Draco had nothing to do with Ron?

"I'm not doing anything to pursue revenge on Ron. Yes, I'm angry with him over what happened but I'm not wasting my time or effort on the weasel."

She'd just said that out loud hadn't she?

Ginny folded her arms disapprovingly. "The _weasel_ Hermione? Way to sound just like him."

"Sorry, but after what he did to me, the name does suit him quite nicely. Anyway, as I was saying, if I decide I want to be friends with Draco then it has nothing to do with Ron and it's none of his business. I thought you weren't talking to Ron"

"We weren't. He showed up at the house, livid. Ranting and raving about you and Malfoy. It kind of caught our attention" explained Harry.

"Well now you know the truth of it"

"If you decide to pursue a friendship with him Hermione, "Luna finally spoke, "Just be careful. I think that people can change but you should still be cautious because you never know."

Hermione gave Luna a small smile, "Thanks Luna. I will be-"

"I don't think that someone can change much after being that big of a git for so many years" interjected Ginny

Harry continued her sentence. "But if you think you know what you're doing by talking to him and letting him come over to your house, just be careful. You don't need to let another person into your life only to get hurt again."

Neville and Luna nodded in agreement to what he'd said.

"Don't worry so much about me. I'm doing a lot better than I was. I promise"

Her friends stated to get up, showing they were ready to go.

"Don't make a habit out of sleeping with him. If you're going to use a rebound, I'd suggest finding someone better." said Ginny.

Hermione flushed bright red. "I'm not using Draco for sex, we're not sleeping together. I'm not going to sleep with him ever again."

"Good" said Harry. He came up and gave Hermione a hug. "Keep me updated on what's going on with you okay? I just want you to be smart"

"I'm always smart"

"Contrary to popular belief Hermione, I know that's not true" said Harry with a smile. They both laughed.

"Okay fine. I promise to be smart and be safe." Hermione crossed her fingers in a promise.

"Okay" Harry gave her a final hug before they all left.

A:N/ Meh…that's how I feel about this chapter to be honest. I'm hitting a little bit of a road bump with this story. My other story, The Possibility, is really picking up and I'm nearly done writing it so I think my attention span is just strained. I'm not giving up on this story though! Don't worry! Just forgive me for posting a slow chapter. lol


	14. Reading Date

Four o'clock strolled around and Draco was right on time. He shoved something into her hands as he came in.

She looked down at the box in her hands. It was an assortment of teas.

"Oh, uh…thank you. You didn't have to bring me a gift"

"I didn't. Your tea is shit and I don't want to drink it while I'm reading" explained Draco.

Hermione deflated, "Oh, of course"

He was Draco Malfoy; of course everything he did had a selfish undertone.

He pointed to one of the labels on the box, "I think you'll like that one though. It should help you relax"

"You're keeping this here?"

"I'm not going to read the book in one day, now am I?" he grabbed the box back from her and walked it over to the counter. "Do you want some now?"

"Sure. Can we try the flavor you suggested?"

"I'm already ahead of you" Draco had already started the kettle and was opening the box.

It didn't take long for the tea to brew. Hermione pulled out two fresh mugs and Draco helped her serve it. The tea smelled incredible. He seemed to be watching her, trying to judge her reaction to his suggestion.

The aroma wafting from the tea enveloped her and began to relax her tension before her lips even met the brim of her glass. She took the first sip. The tea tasted of cherries, lemon and chamomile. Heaven.

"Oh my god" she moaned and took another drink

He smiled. "I knew you'd like it."

"I almost feel ashamed for serving you that other stuff"

He laughed, "You should be"

Draco Malfoy being nice to her was odd. It was nice, but it was still odd.

"Come on, I'll show you where the library is"

"You have your own library here?"

"Of course. I am a librarian after all" replied Hermione as she led him down the hall. They passed through her sitting room. Draco had noticed a large singed spot on the ceiling.

"What happened there?"

"Remodeling" Hermione simply stated as she led him up the stairs. The library was at the end of the hall.

"Let's see…_ Prohibitum Liquamentum._" Hermione clicked her tongue against her teeth as she thought of where she had last put it. "Ah, right" she walked to the back corner of her library and pulled a large book out. It was covered in black leather and appeared to be hand bound. The entire text was hand written. It was very old.

Draco had a look of reverence and awe on his face as she brought the book to the table. He set his tea down; making sure it was far away from the book. He walked around the table and stood behind her, looking down at the book from over her shoulder.

He wanted to focus on how lucky he was to be seconds away from having the privilege of looking through this rare text but all he could think of was how nice Hermione's hair smelled. It had the essence of pomegranates and vanilla. Hermione tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and Draco moved his head back a tad.

She touched the book, brushing her hand over the cover. There was a light layer of dust on it. She frowned, she needed to get in here and deep clean evidently. She opened the cover to reveal the title page. Draco seemed to step in closer. His body was touching hers now. She knew he was just eager for her to step away so he could look at the book.

Part of her didn't want to step away. Maybe if she stood there, turning through a few more pages, she could drive him a little crazy. Draco wasn't a very patient man; she knew he wouldn't wait long. But maybe she could have a little fun…

"How did you get it?" asked Draco interrupting her deviant thoughts.

He was so close to her that she could feel the breath from his speech bounce off the side of her neck. It gave her immediate goosebumps and sent shivers down her spine. Damn him.

She caught herself in a stutter. She hadn't expected that reaction. "Ahh…Uh…Ron-Ron and I got it at an auction in Africa a while back"

What was that? Did she just get tongue tied? Draco thought to himself, amused by her reaction.

"Here" she practically jumped away from him and granted him full access to the book. "Take as long as you need."

"What are you going to be doing?"

What did he care? She answered anyway. "I have to go through a few titles."

Draco waited. When she didn't continue he asked, "For…?"

Once again, why did he care? She decided to humor him and answer his question, "For my library. I'm planning on opening a new section on muggle literature so I'm going to have decide, out of millions of muggle books, which I'm going to showcase."

"Sounds like a lot of work"

She nodded. "It is and it's going to take forever"

"Do you need any help?"

Hermione looked at him with a peculiar stare. "You don't read muggle books Malfoy"

"Says who?"

She gave him a 'come on, really?' look.

"No, seriously, how do you know that I don't?"

"Fine, _have _you ready any muggle books?"

"No, but still-I could help you"

She laughed out loud, he was ridiculous. "How could you help me if you don't know any of the books I'm trying to narrow down?"

"I know how to read Hermione"

"Yes, I'm sure you do. But, I don't have time to wait for you to read through my list. It's a mile long."

She was smiling. Good. That's all he had really wanted. Of course he wasn't interested in reading a thousand dull muggle books. The only book he had interest in reading at that moment was the one right in front of him.

"You should get to your book" she reminded him.

"Right, thank you" His gratitude was sincere. He pulled the chair out from under the table and sat down.

"There are more comfortable chairs over there" Hermione pointed to the little nook she had created It had pillows, blankets and fuller chairs. She'd spent days of her life over there. Sometimes she'd even sleep in the haven she had created. "Feel free to use that area if you'd like"

It was tempting. It looked like a little oasis of comfort. Hermione had to be the most adorable bookworm he had ever met. "I'm fine," he said. "I might move a little later"

"Ok" Hermione cut off the conversation and headed over to a box that was sitting out on the floor. She pulled it up and set down on the other side of the table. She had brought over a box of books from the library that she needed to go through and make a decision on. She took a long roll of parchment out from the top of the box and rolled it out onto the table top. It was a list of all the books she was sorting through. She grabbed a quill and quickly scratched one of the titles off.

"Definitely no…" she murmured to herself, thinking out loud.

Draco couldn't help but watch her as she set to work. Hermione frequently chewed on her bottom lip as she thought. He noticed how shapely her lips were. They were quite attractive. He couldn't really remember what it had felt like to kiss them…

I have to stop having sex when I'm drunk, Draco thought to himself frustrated. He knew that he had enjoyed his time with Hermione but he couldn't remember why. He couldn't remember how soft her hair had felt in his hands, or what her lips tasted like. He couldn't remember how velvety her skin was or how warm her body temperature had been. He yearned for just a reminder.

He shook his head abruptly, why was he thinking like this? This was Hermione Granger he was talking about. She was supposed to be awkward, stiff, and an incorrigible know it all. Yet he found himself ogling at her as if she was some hot available witch he was considering asking out. Maybe he could brush it off as some hot and sexy librarian fetish he wanted to fulfill.

No, this felt like more…

Draco honestly didn't care about the issue of blood status anymore. He'd had such a difficult time dealing with his own blood status in his previous marriages that he'd given up feeling proud of being a pureblood. It was virtually impossible for him to conceive a baby with other of his wives because their blood had been so 'pure'. The truth was that their families were so close that it would have been dangerous. The thought made him cringe a little bit.

Draco was almost grateful for it; he couldn't imagine Astoria or Pansy being acceptable mothers. He couldn't help but wonder why Hermione hadn't had any kids with Ron.

He looked back at the title page and realized he hadn't read a word of the book in front of him yet.

He flipped a couple pages over until he was three pages into the first section. If she looked up, he didn't want it to be obvious that he'd been unable to focus because he was watching her.

Hermione looked completely engrossed in her work. She had an incredible ability to focus on whatever task she had at hand. Especially ridiculously large library projects.

Draco realized that she was paying absolutely no attention to the fact the he was in the room.

"I'll give you some more table space"

Hermione had begun spreading titles out across the table, creating a little arc around the book he was reading. Draco picked the book up and walked over to the nook in the corner.

"Sorry" apologized Hermione as she quickly filled in the space left behind from Draco moving.

"It's fine." Draco let himself sink down into a pile of pillows propped up into the corner. "Merlin, is it comfortable over here" Draco groaned as he sank deeper into soft mound.

Hermione smiled proudly, "I told you so" she stuck the quill in her mouth to free her hands up as she moved a pile of books back into the box.

She clapped her hands together to brush off some of the book dust before reaching over to grab the mug on the table. She took a quick drink and then scrunched her face in. It was cold.

"What was my tea" said Draco from across the room as he lounged back and turned a page in the book he had propped on his lap.

"Oh right…sorry" Hermione turned bright red. She had left hers downstairs.

"You can have it if you want" he had a small smirk placed on his face.

"No, that's fine" She picked up the last book she had left on the table. _The Scarlet Letter_.

Draco looked up; Hermione had walked over and was sitting down on the pile of pillows directly across from him.

"Are you really going to read through each of those books?"

"I'm not supposed to but I indulge from time to time"

"Indulge?"

"Yes, reading is my guilty pleasure"

"Well aren't you just the innocent little witch?"

"You already know I'm not that innocent" Hermione teased.

Draco was the one to blush this time. "Right" he burrowed his face back into the large book he was holding.

He finally was able to draw his attention onto what he was reading. He would peek out from time to time to watch Hermione reading; her eyes scanning back to forth as she followed the lines on the page. He admired the little faces she made as she reacted to what she was reading, even though she already knew the entire book.

He had been a little surprised the she'd stayed in the library with him the entire time. At the same time, he was relieved. It would have been weird to be left alone in her house.

Another hour passed by and Draco felt a rumble in his stomach. He frowned. He wasn't sure if Hermione had read his mind or heard his stomach when she said, "I'm kind of hungry. Do you want to get something to eat with me?"

"Sure" he shut the book closed. "Where do you want me to put this?"

"Back on the table is fine"

They stood up slowly. They had both been engrossed in comfort. Hermione stood up on her tip toes and stretched up. Her T-shirt slipped up revealing a small part of her stomach. Draco caught himself staring. Hermione had been closing her eyes as she stretched and didn't take notice.

"What are you in the mood for?" asked Hermione once her toes touched back down onto the ground.

"Anything really"

"I could make you something here" she offered.

"I don't want to make you cook"

"I don't mind" she assured him.

"Okay then, what did you have in mind?"

"I could make pasta. Something quick and easy"

"Sounds great" he smiled and followed her out of the library and back downstairs.

A:N/ Super excited about tonight! Going out to the club with some co-workers. Who knows, maybe I'll bump into Draco ;) Haha j/k. Anywho, remember to review! Thank you so much for all of the support! x


	15. Champagne and Pasta

Hermione pulled out a pot of water and flicked her wand, it immediately started to boil. She knew she could have just magicked the noodles cooked but she preferred to mix her muggle techniques with her spell work. Magicked food just didn't taste the same, less love. Cooking seemed to be one of those things that muggles just did better.

Draco sat at the table and waited while she prepared their meal.

"So, what do you think of the book so far?" inquired Hermione as she poured the bowtie noodles into the pot.

"Fascinating. It's everything I thought it'd be and more"

"Good."

"How was yours?"

"I've read that book like 5 times already."

"Does it get better each time?"

"Something like that" said Hermione with a smile. She pulled out a sauce pan and set it on the counter. She prayed she had some of that white wine left over. She opened the fridge and scanned through the shelves. Bingo. She pulled it out with the butter and garlic. Now she needed to find onions…onions….

"I didn't know you could cook"

"Yeah, it's how I manage to eat on a regular basis" she playfully retorted.

"Most wizards have their house elves do this kind of stuff"

"I don't believe in house elves"

"How do you not _believe_ in house elves?" the idea seemed ridiculous.

"I don't believe in forced unpaid labor"

"No one forces them"

"Right, we just give them orders and when they're not followed perfectly we allow them to severely abuse themselves as punishment. So humane."

Draco dropped the subject. It was obviously touchy.

"So, what happened between you and Weasley, if it wasn't me?"

"God, do you really believe that the entire world revolves around you?" asked Hermione with a hint of mock-disgust.

"Hey, I honestly thought for a moment there that you had cheated on him with me. I wouldn't blame you. I mean, just look at him…and then look at me" he joked with a flirtatious smile on his face. He presented himself with a wave of his hand as he said it.

"Yes, what witch could deny the one and only Draco Malfoy" joked Hermione.

"That's a good question." Draco coughed to make a point at the obvious. Hermione blushed

"Okay, that's not what I meant. I could resist you-"

"You didn't-"

"I _could_, now."

"Now?"

"Now that I'm sober and not ridden with grief. I could resist you."

"What, are you saying that I'm not attractive?" he pretended to be hurt.

Hermione was whisking her wine and butter cream sauce in the pan, circulating her wrist rapidly. If she didn't get the texture correct she'd have to start over. She was a perfectionist when it came to her cooking. Her food was probably the reason Ron had held onto their marriage for as long as he did.

"No, I'm not saying that" she waited until she had finished the sauce before answering him. She set it down on the back burner and let it simmer to keep it warm as she thawed out some shrimp that she had frozen. They wouldn't take very long to cook.

"You eat seafood don't you?" she double checked.

"Yeah, that's fine. So, what are you saying then?" Draco continued the conversation.

"Draco, I don't need to tell you that you're attractive. You tell yourself that every day, I'm sure."

"So if you find me attractive then what's the problem?"

"I didn't say that _I_ found you attractive"

"Do you?"

"That doesn't matter." She avoided the question and focused on cooking the shrimp up with an array of vegetables that she had available. "You're still Malfoy"

He frowned.

She hadn't meant to say it like that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that." She turned around, neglecting her cooking for a moment. "You've been very kind and sweet during our last few encounters but I don't really know you anymore. I can only assume that you're the same person I knew in school."

"Well, I'm not. A lot has changed"

She turned back around before she overcooked the shrimp. She hated overcooked shrimp. Her noodles were done; she strained them and then pulled out a couple of plates.

"For example" Draco decided to explain himself without prompting, "I don't care that you're muggle born anymore"

"Don't you? Is that why you've been calling me by my first name and not mudblood?" Hermione made sure her tone was light and playful. She didn't want to insult or offend him again.

She plated up the noodles then poured the sauce on top and finished it off with the freshly cooked shrimp and noodles. The aroma of a fresh cooked meal filled the kitchen.

"That smells really good" Draco was really hungry. From the smell alone he could tell this was going to be a treat.

"Cooking with magic is empty. This is what love taste like" she winked as she set the steaming dish down in front of him.

With the exception of when he went out to eat, Draco couldn't remember the last time he'd had a meal that wasn't cooked by a house elf. He was about to explain to Hermione why he wasn't going to call her a mudblood anymore but he couldn't resist the food in front of him. He picked up his fork and took the first bite.

Oh my god.

He took another bite, and then another. He was about to open his mouth to say something else but he had to try another bite to make sure that the orgasm in his mouth was real.

It was.

Hermione had a self-satisfied smirk on her features as she ate next to him and watched his reaction. Draco was practically shoveling her food down into his face.

"This taste amazing" said Draco apologetically as he filled his mouth. He couldn't resist it.

Hermione laughed, "Thanks"

Their conversation went on a pause as they both ate. Draco finished far sooner than Hermione did.

"That was seriously incredible. Probably the best meal of my life. You're a really good cook"

"It wasn't that good but thanks" Hermione caught herself blushing again.

"What was I talking about before you distracted me with that piece of heaven?" he couldn't remember.

Hermione felt incredibly flattered by his endless stream of praise for her food. "Uh, you were talking about how you don't care about me being a muggle born."

"Right, I don't care. I'm never going to call another person a mudblood, ever again."

Hermione gave him a look that said she didn't believe him for a second.

"Unless they really deserve it" Draco admitted "But, you're not a mudblood Hermione. I'm sorry that I ever called you that. I'm sorry for all the torment I put you through in school. I'm a complete arse for it and you have every right to hate me for what I did"

Was Draco Malfoy really sitting in her kitchen apologizing to her? Her world really had been turned upside down.

"Thank you for apologizing Malfoy. I appreciate it, I really do."

Hermione finished up her last couple bites then stood up and cleared Draco's plate away.

"You never answered my question from before, by the way. What happened between you and Ron?"

Hermione cleaned up her mess from cooking quickly using magic.

"Well, we were together for ten years"

"_Ten_ years?" Draco was flabbergasted. He'd barely come close to five.

"Yup, ten years" bitterness returned to Hermione's voice.

If she was going to talk about this, she was going to need a drink…or five. She grabbed two flutes and pulled out a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of champagne she had stored in the back of the fridge for rainy days.

She made two quick Mimosas and passed one to Draco. She grabbed the bottle of champagne and set it down next to her. She was going to need it.

"Do you really want to hear the whole story?"

"I'm curious" Draco brought the drink to his lips.

In the time Draco had tasted his first drink, Hermione had finished hers. She didn't even bother grabbing the orange juice and filled her glass to the top with champagne alone.

"You know Hermione, most people reserve champagne for celebrations."

"I'm not one of those people" said Hermione as she brought the glass up to her mouth and took another large drink.

Draco just smiled. "Okay, fair enough. So, what happened?"

"Well, the first few years were great. You know, like most marriages-"

"Both my marriages only lasted a few years" Draco pointed out.

"Right, sorry. Okay well, the first years were the best" she rephrased. "Then Ron just seemed to get less invested. I believed he was concentrating on his job and I just gave him the space he wanted. Turns out he was paying more attention to Lavender Brown than he was his job."

How did her glass get empty that fast? She frowned at it disapprovingly and filled her third glass. Much better.

"Did you suspect he was cheating on you?"

"Nope, not once in five years." She laughed. "Pathetic isn't it? I trust him all the way until he broke my heart."

"It's not your fault he knew how to lie to you."

"But that's just it, Draco. I was never able to lie to him. Ever. I always thought that when you truly love someone you tell them everything. I honestly believed myself incapable of telling Ron a lie. If he wanted to know anything about me all he had to do was ask. Maybe he would have told me had I asked, but I never suspected it." She shook her head and drank her glass down until it was half empty. She didn't even wait to reach the bottom before she refilled it to the top.

Draco noticed she was drinking a lot. He was still on his first glass. He made the conscience decision to stay sober and in control.

"So, I lived a miserable life for the remainder of our marriage. We hardly ever had sex and when we did it was…disappointing. I never seemed to be what he wanted. I could never do anything right to satisfy him."

The idea of her having sex with Ron made him feel off. He reached for the champagne bottle and finished it off.

"I have another one" Hermione stood up and walked to the fridge to grab the second bottle.

"Is that why you never had kids?"

Hermione laughed out, "No, no, no, no" she topped off Draco's flute, tipped back the champagne that was remaining in hers and refilled it. "I would have killed for kids Draco. You have no idea. Ron was the one who always told me no."

"So the entire marriage was about him and what he wanted?"

"Precisely. The only part of my life that was really me was my library. But having a library doesn't get you pregnant now does it? And so, I'm in my thirties now, single and childless"

"That's not that bad. Being in your thirties without a child that is. My mother was higher up in her years when she had me"

"Right, and she only had you. I want more than one kid."

"I'm sure you will. You'll find someone who loves books as much as you and you'll procreate on one of your bookshelves and make a bunch of mini librarians"

Hermione caught herself laughing harder than necessary to the joke. "I'm getting a little tipsy…sorry"

"Yeah, I can tell. What glass are you on?"

"I have no idea"

Draco got a devious smirk on his face and leaned in closer to her. "Still think you can resist me?"

Hermione smiled back and leaned forward into him. "Without a doubt" she leaned back and laughed again.

"Okay then, you're not drunk yet" Draco's smiled widened.

"Oh is that how we test my alcohol intake now? If I want to ravish you then I'm drunk?"

"Exactly and if not, you should probably drink more"

Hermione cracked up. "Nice try, but it's not happening again"

"Ok, if you say so" Draco reached over and took hold of his glass.

"So...what was I saying? All I can think about is a bunch of little baby librarian running around between bookcases shelving books for me."

They cracked up again.

"Thanks for putting that thought into my head."

"No problem 'Mione"

She stopped laughing abruptly.

"What did you just call me?"

"Hermione" Draco lied.

She looked at him suspiciously. "Ron calls me that. It's weird hearing it come out of your mouth"

He shrugged, "I don't really know where that came from. Sorry."

"It's okay…"

"So, back to the story. You never had kids" Draco diverted the conversation back on course.

"Right and it turns out Ron had kids all long"

"With Lavender?"

"Yup."

"That bastard"

"Mmmhmm. So he had his family all along and he just kept me here in this house waiting for him to be part of our marriage again. Eventually he decided he wanted out and let me know everything at once."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that, and then he left. He feels guilty as hell about it now. He's leaving me basically half of everything in the divorce agreement"

"You deserve more than that for putting up with his bullshit as long as you did."

"Most of our stuff is his stuff Draco. I don't really have claim to it-"

"You were his wife weren't you? You have claim to all of it"

"I don't want a drawn out divorce. I just want to be done with him and restart my life. I'm happy with what I have."

"You deserve more"

"Well, what did you leave Pansy and Astoria in your divorce?"

Draco thought back. "I left Astoria a lot. That was because I was feeling guilty though."

"Because you'd cheated on her?"

"Right. Over and over again, I'd cheated on her. So that went easy. With Pansy, it was kind of drawn out. She wanted half of everything I owned and I wasn't going to stand for that. We were really good friends and our marriage basically ruined everything between us. I got a really good lawyer and came out on top. I would advise you to do the same thing"

She shook her head, "That's just not me. I don't enjoy confrontation. I understand that I deserve to bleed him of all he's worth but I don't want to waste my time with him anymore. I just want to be happy and I don't need all that stuff to find happiness."

"What do you need?" asked Draco curiously.

Hermione's eyes had a light gloss over them, she was slightly buzzed. But she seemed relaxed.

"I know it sounds stupid, but I'm not sure what I need yet. I'm figuring it out though. But I know I don't need any more unnecessary stress in my life"

Draco nodded in agreement. He filled his glass for his third drink and offered the bottle to Hermione. She accepted it and filled hers.

"It's kind of funny. My friends came over today and they think that you are the last person I need to affiliate with" she added, "next to Ron of course"

"Really?" asked Draco.

"Yup. Ron went to his sister, Ginny, and told her that we were having an affair. So I had to tell them all that we weren't. Because we're not. And now they have this idea in their head that I'm using you to make Ron angry and jealous so that I can get revenge"

"Not a bad idea"

"That's a horrible idea. I wouldn't use you like that"

"What if I didn't mind being used?" Draco teased as he winked at her.

"I'm not that kind of person Draco"

"I know, I know you're not. You're too good for all of that. Don't let me be a bad influence on you"

"You already have been" she joked.

Draco finished off the drink he had in hand and stood up. "It's getting late, I should probably go"

Hermione didn't know why but she felt a twinge of disappointment. "Ah, okay. Um, Thanks for coming over."

"No, thank you for having me over and for making me the best dinner of my life."

There was an awkward pause between them. "We should do this again sometime" Draco offered.

"We should" Hermione accepted.

He grinned. "Great. I'll see you soon then Hermione." He winked at her, "Have a good night"

"Bye Draco" she brought her hand up in a lazy wave as he turned around and headed out the door.

The door clicked shut and for the first time since Ron had packed his bags and left, her house felt empty.

A/N: So...No Draco at the club last night :( Ah well, LOL. Hope you liked the chapter, remember to review! x


	16. Long Nights

_Draco wandered between the endless aisles of bookshelves. He had been walking through this library looking for his book and had gotten lost. It seemed that the library had turned into a giant maze._

_He pulled a single book out of the self. It was entirely blank. He tried another, same result. _

"_That's odd"_

_He kept walking, the farther he walked the more lost he became. He started to get anxious and pulled out his wand. _

_Then suddenly he heard a voice. It was soft and still as it lingered in the air above him._

"_Draco…" it floated in the air, resonating in his ears. _

_He looked up. Where had that voice come from?_

_He tried to follow the sound of the voice but it seemed to be nowhere and everywhere at the same time._

_Suddenly the ground came out from under him and he found himself falling. The air rushed past him, forcing his arms far above his head as he started to cascade to his doom._

_Instead of slamming into the ground and dying or falling endlessly through eternity, Draco felt his body crash into a sea of pillows. Engulfed with cushions, Draco found himself completely immersed and having to swim out of the pile around him. _

_As if he had been underwater, he gasped for air as he penetrated the surface. It was the library nook. He looked around, it looked exactly like Hermione's library. _

_The door opened and Hermione walked through the door. She looked like she had been crying. _

_Hermione was frantically searching for something. She was wearing a tight black shirt, a button down ladies blue oxford and had her hair pulled tightly back into a high bun. It looked like she had stuck two quills in the center of it for a bit of flair. She looked like a librarian._

_Draco hid in the pillows just watching her, lurking in the shadows._

"_Draco?" Hermione cried out desperately. She fell down to the floor and wept hopelessly._

_She was looking for him?_

_He pushed the pillow off of him that he was hiding under and walked out to the center of the floor._

_She looked up at him with tear ridden eyes and smiled with relief. "There you are" she gasped as she ran up and into his arms. "Where have you been?"_

"_I don't know" he answered truthfully._

"_It doesn't matter. You're here now" she walked him backwards towards the table as she tugged against his shirt. What was she doing?_

_Draco felt the back of his legs hit the table edge as she pushed him against it and crashed her lips against his._

_She persuaded his mouth to respond, slipping her tongue forward to caress his lips. He felt an uncontrolled growl escape his lips and he pulled her closer against his body. _

_He turned them around and pushed Hermione up onto the table, spreading her legs around his waist. His hands wasted no time caressing their way up her thighs. _

_Hermione reached behind and pulled the quills out of her hair and let her hair fall out. It was terribly sexy. Draco reached forward and ran his hands through her gorgeous mane. He frowned; it seemed to wisp into the air._

_He couldn't remember how it was supposed to feel like._

_She focused his attention back to him and away from her ghostly hair as she began to unbutton her blouse. The shirt became lose with every button removed until it easily slid down off of her. She wasted no time in repeating the same actions on his shirt. _

_Draco could feel his heart beating against his chest as his pulse quickened. Her fingers barely touched his bare skin as they pushed his shirt off of his shoulders. The quick feel of her skin felt cold. What was going on?_

_Draco reached forward to grab her by the waist and found his hands falling through her._

"_Don't you remember what it's like to touch me Draco?" she reached back and undid her bra, revealing her tender breast to him. She had the perfect curve to each mound. _

_He longed to touch her but found his arms unable to move. _

"_Don't you want to feel me?" she asked as she caressed herself in front of him. Painfully torturing him with what he was unable to have._

"_Yes" he groaned desperately. He wanted to feel her more than anything._

_The door opened again. Who had the nerve to interrupt them?_

_Weasley of course._

_Hermione didn't seem fazed. _

"_I don't think he can do it Ron. He doesn't remember" Hermione simple stated. _

_Ron smiled as he walked up close to them. _

_Hermione hopped off of table and walked over to him. Draco's feet seemed to be fixed to the ground. He could do nothing more than stand there and watch._

_Weasley had his hands all over her and she seemed to be enjoying it._

"_Don't worry Hermione. I remember what it's like to feel you" his hands ran up her skirt, "all of you"_

_Hermione giggled. It was off setting. Hermione didn't giggle._

_Apparently she did for Ron. She was giggling incessantly as he lifted her up onto the table and pulled her skirt up to her waist, revealing that she wasn't wearing any knickers beneath them._

"_You naughty little librarian" Ron playfully scolded._

_From where Draco was standing he could tell that she was already wet and inviting. _

_Ron looked over to Draco and spat, "Feel free to watch Malfoy as I claim what's mine"_

_A rage ascending up Draco's chest. He opened his mouth to curse at the Weasley but no sound came out. He was paralyzed and helpless to do anything as Ron lowered his mouth down onto Hermione as she lay eagerly on the table…_

Draco woke up.

He was hard.

Damn it.

That had been an odd dream.

The details rapidly started to slip away. The one thing he could remember was the he had wanted Hermione, badly, and was unable to have her.

He looked down at himself, fully at attention and sighed. He could take care of it himself but some mornings he wished he didn't have to.

He wrapped him hand around himself and tried to imagine that the other night had turned out differently.

What if he had stayed and convinced Hermione to pull out another bottle of champagne? He imagined himself getting lucky with her once more, but in her own house.

He shut his eyes and imagined as he touched himself.

_Draco leaned toward Hermione as they sat at the table, the two flutes of champagne sitting between them._

"_Tell me Granger, can you resist me now?"_

"_Not even if I wanted to" her voice was hot and sultry. _

_She wasted no time pushing everything off the table, letting the glasses shatter on the ground. _

"_Take me Malfoy. Right here, right now" _

_He knew Hermione wouldn't say or do that. But it was his fantasy and it was hot to imagine…_

_She practically ripped off her shirt and bra presenting her perfect breasts to him. He lowered his wet mouth onto them, caressing her nipples with his tongue as his hands massaged her. She wouldn't stop moaning. He started to flick his tongue rapidly against her encouraging the incredible sound she was making.._

Draco moaned out himself as he found his climax rapidly approaching. It hadn't taken much. His hand squeezed a bit tighter as he felt his release arrive and dissipate.

He frowned at the mess he'd made, took his wand off the nightstand and cleaned off his sheets.

"What a weird morning"

He pulled himself out of bed and into the shower.

A:N/ Yes, I know it's a tad short but meh. Enjoy! Remember to review!


	17. Tempermental

"Hey Draco" Hermione answered the door. His eyes immediately found her chest and flash backs of that's morning dream flooded his mind.

She caught a hint of blushing flood his cheeks and quickly fade out. She brushed it off.

"Hey Hermione" Draco responded after getting lost in his thoughts for a second.

"I hope you don't mind, I have a meeting with some of the library managers and they're coming over here. So, I'll be preoccupied downstairs. But the book is in the same place as it was yesterday. Do you remember where the library is?'

He nodded, "Yeah, I remember. I'll be fine" he flashed a quick smile and hurriedly walked past her. The thought of Hermione in the library with him was making him hard and he was grateful that he'd be up there alone this time.

Hermione found it a bit odd how fast he had rushed past her. Maybe he had just been really eager to get back to his book? She shrugged her shoulders and went back to straighten out the sitting room, getting ready for her meeting.

/

Her meeting had taken all night. Draco could hear their laughter carry upstairs from time to time. The comfort of the nook had called his name the moment he walked in the library and caused him to drift into a short nap sometime during his reading.

Hermione walked into the library to check on him and found him sleeping, with the book sprawled out on his chest. She couldn't help but smile.

She walked over to him and picked the book tenderly off of him and set it down on the floor beside them. She sat down next to him and watched him sleep, his chest slowly rising and falling gracefully back down.

His eye lids fluttered as he dreamed giving him an angelic look. Which was funny to her considering the Draco she knew was anything but angelic.

The soft look of his hair in his face gave her the urge to reach forward and brush it aside. But she resisted. It wouldn't be appropriate, would it?

She wasn't sure what they were. Were they friends? Were they even allowed to be friends after everything that had happened between them at Hogwarts?

That was silly. Of course they could be friends, they were reasonable adults. The past was irrelevant. Hermione couldn't believe that she was finding herself in a point her in her life where she actually _desired_ a friendship with the Slytherin sleeping before her.

Screw the past.

Hermione reached forward and tucked his hair back.

Draco stirred. Her hand flew back, cautious of being caught touching him. His head fell back into the pillow and he continued to sleep.

A thought occurred to her. She got up and left the library to head back downstairs.

/

Draco's nose twitched. What was that smell?

He started to stir as his nose prompted him to wake up.

Whatever it was, it smelled like heaven.

His eye cracked open and he remembered where he was. He had fallen asleep but couldn't remember when. He yawned and looked around. The door opened to the library and Hermione came in holding two steaming plates in her hand.

"You're awake. I was going to surprise you"

"You're an angel. Seriously."

Hermione laughed and passed him a plate.

"I feel incredibly spoiled right now"

"You've always been spoiled Malfoy" Hermione pointed out.

"I guess that's true" he admitted as he wasted no time digging into his plate. Once again, the food was absolutely delicious.

"How do you do this?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"This." He pointed to his plate, "I think" he said between bites, "That I would walk a thousand miles for food like this"

"Just one?"

"Okay, maybe two thousand" he joked.

They finished up their meals and continued to chat as they lounged in the nook.

"So, how was your meeting?"

"Really good. It went really well. How was your book?"

"From what I remember it was still very intriguing. I feel asleep" he explained.

"I noticed"

"Sorry about that. I know I'm probably pushing the extent of your hospitality by now"

"Not at all…the company is nice" Hermione honestly replied.

"Yeah, it is"

"You live alone?"

Draco nodded. "Yup, that's me- Draco Malfoy, lonely bachelor surviving off the heartless meals of house elves"

"You could learn to cook and make the same kind of food I cook for you"

He shook his head, "No I couldn't"

"Yes you could. It's possible"

"Nah, don't think so." he shook his head again.

"Why not? The Great Draco Malfoy can't act like a muggle? Would it kill you?" Hermione laughed as she adjusted her posture

"Well, maybe. But that's not the reason. I have tried to cook the…muggle way and I'm horrible at it"

"But you're so good at potions and that's basically the same thing as cooking"

"You would_ think _that would be the case. But it turns out, it's not"

"You should cook for me sometime" Hermione requested.

"No, that's a terrible idea. I wouldn't want to kill you"

Hermione found herself laughing again. She'd never thought she would find Draco Malfoy, of all people, funny. Turns out, he was incredibly charming.

"You wouldn't kill me. I think you owe me a meal. At least one" she pressed.

"Maybe. I'll think about it"

"Dinner's on you tomorrow"

"Who said I was coming over tomorrow?"

"You're not done with the book are you?"

"Maybe I'm bored of it" Draco teased.

"Bullshit." She picked up the plates. "Your turn tomorrow"

Draco got up and followed her out of the library as she went into the kitchen to wash their dishes.

Draco's eyes averted to the fridge and he wondered if she had any champagne left…

He shook away the memory of his dream. He needed to stop thinking naughty thoughts about the witch in front of him. He wondered if she'd had any dreams about him. Probably not. Hermione didn't seem like the kind of woman who indulged in dirty fantasies.

He watched her amused as she lathered up the dishes in soap. Hermione gave a slight jump as Draco spoke from directly behind her, his head looming over her shoulder

"You know, it's kind of adorable how you forget you're a witch sometimes" he flicked his wand and the dishes were instantly clean.

Hermione blushed. "Just because you _can_ use magic, doesn't mean you _should_ use it for everything" she was quoting Mrs. Weasley but Draco wouldn't know that.

"You _would_ think that Granger" he teased, a smile played on his lips.

Hermione could feel the warmth of Draco's body as he retained his spot directly behind her. She turned to walk away and bumped directly into him causing her to blush deeper. His amused smirk wasn't helping things much.

"Excuse me Draco" she excused herself and wiggled away from the close contact.

Hermione couldn't lie that being left in her home alone night after night had taken a toll on her. She dmissedid miss the simple gift of human contact on a regular base. Simple things like hugs and innocent caresses. She'd been denied regular touch for so long that she figured she was overreacting to her contact with Draco. She didn't like that he could make her blush with an innocent bump.

She could feel his gaze burrowing through her. It made her face even hotter with embarrassment and frustration. Why was he looking at her so intently? It started to make her nervous.

"You're blushing" Draco called her out. "And we haven't even drank a drop of champagne this time"

"Right because it's hot in here"

"I wonder why that is" he teased.

"Because I have horrible circulation in this kitchen. We should move to a different room maybe"

"You don't want me to go?" he wondered.

She was caught off guard. "Well, you know…if you want to go then by all means. But, like I said before…your company is nice"

"Are you admitting that you actually _like_ hanging out with me Granger?" Draco grinned. He wanted to hear her say it.

She was blushing furiously. Damn her cheeks for rebelling against her. "Well…I thought that was obvious" she said difficulty. She didn't care to be vulnerable when he seemed so confidant in front of her.

"It's alright to admit it. You should know by now that I'm not going to bite unless you beg me to…"

She glared at him. "Stop bringing that up"

"What?" he asked innocently with an entertained inflection.

"You keep alluring too…you know…that thing we did…" she couldn't stop blushing. Damn it.

Draco was full out smiling now. "You mean you want me to stop mentioning the fact that we fucked like crazy, horny-"

"Stop it" she snapped.

"You're so red right now" he laughed, amused.

"Why can't we just pretend that never happened and just be friends? Yes, I like hanging out with you Draco. I hate being here by myself and your company is a relief. You've seemed to have changed a great deal since Hogwarts and I'm enjoying getting to know you. But I get uncomfortable when I think that we-you know…"

"I don't want to pretend it never happened" Draco admitted.

"Why not?" she whined.

"Because I enjoyed it. I liked being with you." he confessed.

"I thought you could barely remember it"

"What I remember, I liked" he clarified.

"Yeah? Well it was a one time show so you might as well forget that it happened" she retorted hotly.

"I think that you're just so used to not being happy that you don't want to admit to yourself that you might like it. Hell, you may even enjoy it. You did the first time."

"What?" Hermione was appalled.

"You heard me. Just because Weasley didn't give a damn about your body doesn't mean that you have to continue to neglect your feelings-"

"I'm not neglecting anything" said Hermione, insulted.

"Oh really? If anyone has repressed sexual tension it's you Hermione.-"

"Repressed sexual tension? That sounds like a nice way of calling me _frigid_ Malfoy. And who does that sound like?" Hermione interrupted as they began to argue.

Draco ignored her retort and continued his point,"- I barely touched you a moment ago and you're blushing like a school girl!" he called her out again.

"I was blushing because it's hot in here" she snapped angrily.

"You were blushing because you want me to touch you"

"You're a pig" she spat.

"You're in denial"

"You know what Malfoy? Just because every other girl you meet wants to fuck you, doesn't mean that I want to"

"I already know that you want to fuck me because you already did"

"I was so drunk that you could have been anyone!"

There was an ear splitting silence.

Draco glared at her. It gave Hermione chills as she recalled that cold look from their school days.

"Well, I get that goes for both of us" he spat and stormed out. Slamming the door behind him.

Hermione just stood there, stunned. She felt instantly horrible.

What had just happened?

One moment they were fine and the next they were fighting like they were back at Hogwarts before the war.

The uncomfortable stillness overtook her home as soon as it recognized Draco's absence. But this time it was coating in a layer of guilt.

A:N/ Thanks for reading! Time to review,yay! Feel free to make suggestions. My muse is having hiccups inbetween plot points. Also, The Possibility is now complete. If you havent read it yet, make sure to do that! :D


	18. The Replacement

What was he doing? Going over to Granger's and flirting with her like she was some kind of option?

He could be with any witch he wanted. He was charming, attractive, relatively young and rich. He didn't need to dote on some heartbroken woman who didn't appreciate his advances.

He returned to the night club where he and Hermione had been reunited so festively. It wasn't as busy as it had been that night. But that was a good thing. Draco could clearly see the patrons and would be able to scope out his objective with ease.

The bar lured him over. Three fire whiskeys in and Draco was holding onto a good buzz. He leaned his body against the bar as he looked around at his prospects.

Too thin…

Too jarring…

What is she wearing?

Too young…

Too Old…

Draco rumpled his face with displeasure. He was being too picky. With a turn to the bartender, he ordered two more drinks and threw them back. Much better.

There we go. He looked around again.

Acceptable…

Pretty good…

Not bad…

Perfect

He saw a timid witch sitting by herself in the corner of the club. She looked shy and alone.

Draco sauntered over to her with an extra drink in hand.

She looked up at him as he approached her table. "Can I sit here?" he asked.

She nodded and looked him over timidly. He tried to give her an assuring smile. Her stance was so weak. She sat like she could barely hold herself up.

Maybe some liquid courage would pep her up. Draco slid the extra drink to her.

"Thirsty?"

"Thanks" she said quietly as she took the drink in hand.

'I'm Draco"

"Sapphire"

Draco nodded, "Nice to meet you. You come here often?"

She shook her head, "It's my first time"

Draco analyzed her more in depth. She had short black hair, pretty green eyes, a relatively impressive physique and slender lips. Not particularly enticing but not half bad.

Draco had definitely settled for worse in his past.

"You're pretty" he stretched the truth.

Her face grew rosy as she smiled nervously. "Thank you"

She was biting her lip already. He clearly turned her on.

This was going to be easy. Draco was feeling a bit more confidant and a lot more cocky as he continued to speak with the meek girl who was eating every one of his overused lines right out of his hand.

He was the master at making strangers feel special and wanted. He had an art for causing infatuation in random women and he was determined to use that talent to his advantage tonight.

It only took another couple drinks before she was eating every word out of his hand. Her upper body was leaned over the table suggestively in an effort to draw attention to her cleavage.

It wasn't that impressive, he didn't know why she was trying to emphasize them.

Draco waited a bit longer under he was sure he had her under the spell of his charms before he tested the waters.

"You know, I think I'm going to head out pretty soon" he bluffed.

She pouted. "No…It's been really fun talking to you Draco. I don't think our night should end here" she suggested.

"Oh? What do you supposed we do then?"

"You could stay"

"Or you could come home with me"

She blushed profusely.

Hook.

Line.

Sinker.

"What do you say? You want to get out of here?" he offered as he offered his palm up.

She nodded her head and took hold of his hand. Draco walked her out of the club and side along apparated her back to his flat.

He didn't bother to introduce her to his home and promptly lead her into his bedroom. She didn't seem interested in a house tour as she latched her lips against his.

_Boring kiss, nothing special._

Her hands entangled themselves in his hair as she kissed him back. Draco pulled her body into his and pushed her down onto the bed as he started to work away at her clothes.

_Average physique. But, he could make due._

She began to thrive and moan under the influence of his hands touching her thin body.

_Why did she sound like that? It was offsetting. _

He tried to push her noises out of his mind and kept going. He pulled her panties down to the ground, ready to finish his intended mission.

"Wait" she interrupted him.

_What was she doing?_

She crawled off the bed and knelt down in front of him. Her hands were on his zipper and were pulling it down. She looked up at him with a giggle and a smile. She thought she was naughty.

_She was…annoying._

Draco didn't even let her get to the seam of his boxers before he pushed her hands off of him.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a flirtatious pout.

Her hands started to massage his shoulders as soon as she stood up. Draco felt himself flinch. Her fingers were pinched and boney.

He grimaced. "I think you should go"

"What? Why?" she asked disappointed. Then she became upset. "You invited me to come here, remember?" she pointed out.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry but this just…it's wrong so we should stop and you should go"

"Why is it so wrong?"

"Who cares why? Pretend I'm married or seeing someone or something. Make up a few excuses and pick one" he snapped at her to show he was serious that this wasn't going to continue.

She realized he wasn't going to budge. "Well, I can't apparate because I drank too much"

"You barely drank-"

"Do you _want_ me to splinch myself because of you?" she argued like a brat.

"Whatever." Draco wasn't going to fight with this airhead. Thank God it had felt off and had stopped. "You can sleep in here. I'll be out on the couch. Leave in the morning"

He shut the door to his room behind him as he walked out to his living room.

There were a few extra pillow and blankets already out there.

Draco lay down and overtook his own thoughts.

There was a perfectly willing, relatively pretty girl in his bedroom alone right now and he was laying out in his living room. That was a peculiar situation for him.

He couldn't really pinpoint one specific reason why she was inadequate. Everything about the situation seemed to feel off.

In his gut his knew why.

He didn't want cute, neat black hair; he wanted soft brown, wild curls.

Green eyes were nice but they didn't have the warmth of chocolate irises.

She was thin and pretty but there was no curve and warmth in her physique.

Her voice held no passion or heat. It was light and compliant.

He wanted resistance, he wanted a challenge. He wanted to play with fire and get burned in the process.

He didn't want some one night stand.

He wanted Hermione.

Draco groaned in realization and turned into the couch.

This was going to take more than a night full of whiskey, champagne and one liners to pull off again. Until he could find a way to get back under Hermione's skin, he was going to be sleeping alone for quite a while…

A:N/ Remember to Review! Thanks for reading! I gotta go to work now...boo :( I want to stay home and write


	19. Things Change

The girl had left by the morning as requested. Draco hadn't even cared to remember what her name had been.

He reclaimed his bed and laid back down for an extra couple hours. His back had gone sore from sleeping out on the couch all night.

The window gently pushed open and an owl swooped in and dropped a note above him, waking him up.

He squinted his eyes open and sat up. The paper rustled as he unraveled it and tried to read.

It was too dark in his room to make anything out. He turned the lights on and winced. It was too bright now, but he needed to wake up.

The letter read,

_I'm sorry about last night. Are you mad at me? The book is still over at my place so if you want to finish reading it you'll have to get over it and accept my apology._

Yes, the book was rare and fascinating and completely fell under his spectrum of interest. But the truth was that he really didn't give a damn about the book anymore. But if he could hide his true intentions behind it, then so be it.

He didn't bother sending a reply as he got dressed. He was just going to come over. He was certain she was waiting for him anyway.

/

Hermione had wrestled with her hair for so long that morning that she decided to cheat and use magic to tone it down and control the frizz. But no matter what she did to mess with it, she wasn't satisfied. She had woken up early and spent a good two hours fixing things up around the house to work through her nerves.

She was feeling particularly fussy that day.

Her last interaction with Draco wasn't sitting well with her. She hadn't wanted to push him away. She may have been bright but that didn't mean she was always smart.

Eventually she fretted herself into sending him an owl.

She waited impatiently for his reply. In the time she spent wondering if he'd write her back she had re-arranged the couches in the sitting room, removed the singed ash from the ceiling, re-organized the contents in her fridge, swept the floor of the kitchen, changed her clothes, charmed her hair twice over, and dug out perfume to wear for the first time in over a year.

It was well past noon when there was a knock at the door.

She jumped.

"Draco?" she called out to make sure. She wasn't about to let Ron back into her house uninvited.

"Who else would it be?"

She rushed to the door and let him in.

"Hey"

"Hey"

Their greeting was slightly awkward. They had both come to new realizations over the last night.  
>Hermione had started to accept the fact that she was lonely and wanted human interaction on a regular basis. If that meant developing a friendship, or whatever it was she had, with Draco-then so be it. If she spent too much time alone she was going to drive herself crazy and set more things on fire.<p>

Draco had realized that he couldn't drown his indifference and frustrations into desperate women just because he was single. He couldn't pretend that Hermione and him sleeping together hadn't been a big deal. He didn't want to do it again just because she was attractive. He genuinely wanted Hermione. There would be no substituting anyone else.

He sniffed the air and looked to her, confused. "Are you wearing perfume?"

"What?" Hermione was caught off guard, "No. Don't be silly. Are you going to come in?"

"Sure" he walked in and eyed her suspiciously. "Something feels different"

"I reorganized a few things" said Hermione looking around.

"No, that's not what I meant." He eyed her up, "About you…"

Hermione blushed and turned away. "I don't know what you mean."

"…you're hair…it looks different."

She turned back around.

"It's nice" he paid her a compliment.

"…Thank You. Um, the book is upstairs. Did you want tea?"

"No, thanks."

She was about to leave the room but noticed Draco hadn't moved. He just stood there, watching her.

"Um, did you want me to head up there with you…?" she asked uncertainly.

He shook his head no and walked past her and made his way upstairs.

That had been odd. Why was he looking at her like that?

She shrugged it off and set back to working on her endless list of muggle books.

/

Draco had to work hard to stay focused and not fall asleep as he relaxed in the nook. He looked up at the clock. He had been reading for a good five/six hours. Draco stretched back, elongating his body.

He looked back as the door opened.

"How're things coming along?"

Draco yawned as he spoke, "Pretty good. How's your project?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and plopped down next to him, "Endless"

Draco shut the book on his lap and looked at her. He could still smell it.

"Your perfume smells nice"

"Thanks" replied Hermione absentmindedly.

Draco smirked at the realization that she had finally admitted that she was, indeed, wearing perfume. Hermione didn't take notice as she stared forward with an absentminded look on her face.

"You seem down. What's wrong?"

Hermione sighed. "I got the final draft of our divorce papers in today. It'll be my last chance to make any adjustments before we sign the final agreement."

"Having second thoughts?"

"About what? Settling or the divorce as a whole?"

"Either"

"I don't know. I know he's only being generous out of guilt. He cares more about his own conscious than he does about my wellbeing."

"Which is why you shouldn't feel bad about sucking him dry of everything he's worth" insisted Draco.

"It still feels off realizing that we're throwing away ten years of marriage"

"You should feel relieved that you're getting out of it sooner than later."

Tears were brimming Hermione's eyes as she hugged her knees closer to her chest. She forced them shut. She had cried enough. She wasn't going to cry anymore. Especially not in front of Draco. She'd come upstairs because she didn't want to feel alone, not to cry.

Before she could reopen her eyes she felt a warmth enclose her. Draco had put his arm around her.

"It's okay" he said soothingly, enfolding her into his chest.

She couldn't help the tears that rushed out and fell down into Draco's shirt.

"I'm sorry" she sniffled. "I'm getting you all wet"

"I don't care. Don't worry about it." He maintained the hold he had on her, "Ten years is a lot to give up."

"I thought I was done crying over this. I already gave him so much of me; I don't want to cry anymore"

"It's okay to cry Hermione"

"I doubt _you_ ever cry"

He scoffed, "Contrary to popular belief, I am actually human. I know it's hard to believe. You know, with my God like physique and irresistible charm…"

Hermione laughed, Draco instantly smiled in reaction.

She pushed herself out of his lap and sat up, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry, that was-"

"Completely fine" Draco finished her sentence. He dried her tears off his shirt with a wave of his wand. He looked to Hermione, she looked completely depressed. It tore at him.

Without thinking, he reached forward and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek that she had missed.

"Missed one" he explained when she looked up at him with those beautiful tear glossed eyes, her mouth slightly agape in shock of his actions.

Draco felt that maybe he had done something wrong and was about to apologize when he found himself unable to speak.

Hermione was kissing him.

His mind rushed. Her lips were soft and full. Her body leaned into his as he caressed her shoulders and pulled her in closer as they fell back into the pillows beneath them.

Her lips were intoxicating. Draco couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to forget what this had felt like. Maybe they hadn't kissed that night. No, there's no way. He would have remembered this…

He was pulled out of his nirvana by a sharp twinge. Draco soon realized she was biting his lip. He couldn't help but smile. He returned the gesture and bit back down on her bottom lip. She groaned.

_Merlin, that sound…._

He did it again, biting down slightly harder this time.

She straddled him in response and he felt himself get instantly aroused.

His heart was racing as she allowed his hands to wander around her midriff without protest. His hands pulled up at her shirt as he caressed her skin. She was soft and smooth against his rough hands.

Draco thought he would die as he felt her start to grind her hips into his lap. He strengthened his grip on her to encourage the motion. Her hands found grip in his hair, caressing his scalp as their kiss deepened.

_This woman is going to drive me crazy…_

Draco heard himself moan this time, finding that he had lost the position of power as Hermione was practically riding him while they kissed.

He was seconds away from flipping her beneath him and having his way when she stopped suddenly.

_Why are you stopping? Don't stop. Do anything but stop…_

She was completely still in his grasp. Her eyes clamped shut.

"I-I'm sorry-" she swung her leg back over and got off of him, leaving Draco lying disheveled beside her.

"Why on earth are you sorry?" Draco breathed in disbelief.

She noticed how aroused she'd made him and looked away, embarrassed. "I-I don't know what came over me. That was completely inappropriate-"

Draco adamantly shook his hand and took hold of her wrist to coax her to look back at him. "There was absolutely nothing inappropriate about what you just did. In fact, feel free to do that again…whenever. At absolutely anytime…like right now, perhaps?" he suggested, trying to lighten her mood back up.

She looked ashamed. It was disheartening.

"Hermione," he sat back up and slicked his hair back that was standing in five different directions from having her hand run through it. "Look at me"

She looked up at him with those sad eyes again.

"Not like that."

She looked back down.

"Stop, seriously. Hermione, what's going on with you?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I'm…conflicted."

"Do you want me to go?" he offered it but no part of him wanted to leave her side.

"No, that's the last thing I want"

He couldn't help but smile.

"Then tell me what you do want"

"I don't know. I want none of this to have ever happened." She looked back at Draco and realized she had hurt him slightly. She quickly explained herself, "That's not what I mean. I meant with Ron doing what he did and having to deal with all this heartbreak…I don't regret this-whatever it is. Our…friendship" she clarified.

"It's okay. You don't have to explain. I understand what you mean." Draco assured her. "I think what you need is a distraction Hermione. You keep yourself cooped up in this house and it's not good for you."

"Yes well, the last time I left my house for a 'distraction' I got myself into a bit of trouble, didn't I?"

"I'm not trouble" Draco playfully defended himself.

"You're trouble" she insisted with a smile.

"Hermione," Draco asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Hermione thought for a moment before a bright idea shone on her face. "You know what I just remembered?"

"What's that?"

"You owe me dinner. I cooked for you and we agreed you would cook for me"

"I don't remember there ever being an _agreement_. It went more like; you cooked for me and then demanded I do the same for you, even though I clearly warned you that my cooking would undoubtedly kill you."

"It will not kill me"

"If not death, then something worse. And I don't want to find out what that would be. So, if you're hungry and you believe that I owe you a meal then you'll just have to settle for me taking you out"

"I can't go out looking like this"

"You look beautiful"

"I look like a tear stained mess"

Draco leaned in and kissed her cheek where she still held a tear stain. Her cheek was salty from crying but he didn't care. "You're beautiful" he whispered in her ear.

She shivered.

He stood up, "I'll give you ten minutes to freshen up if you insist, then I'm taking you out."

She began to open her mouth in protest as he headed towards the door.

"I'm not asking you Hermione Granger. I'll be waiting downstairs"

The door shut behind him.

Hermione sat by herself in the nook, stunned at what had just occurred.

Was she about to go on a date with Draco Malfoy?

.

.

.

A:N/ Sorry this took me a bit longer to update. I just started school so my updates wont be as frequent as they have been in the past. But I promise I will continue to update. Hope you liked the chapter, keep reviewing! Thank you! x


	20. A Night Out

Draco was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her when she came down.

"I wasn't sure what to wear". She had black pants on and a slightly formal top. Appropriate, yet not too over the top since she had no idea where they would be going.

"You look great. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes but, Draco-"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you being so kind to me?"

"How could anyone be anything but kind to you?"

"I don't know Draco. Ask yourself ten years ago" she reminded him.

"I was an idiot then. I didn't know you, at all. If I had known then what I know of you now-"

"You still would have been the same little sniveling brat"

He smiled, "Probably. But regardless, I'm glad that I'm finally getting to really know you."

"You're not the person I expected you to be either" she admitted.

"Good. Because I never want you to think of me that way again"

"I won't" she assured him.

"C'mon, let's go"

They walked out the door together. Draco pulled her in closer than necessary and side along apparated her.

/

They arrived at the restaurant within moments. It was a gorgeous, pristine, white building at the top of a hill. It looked fairly busy as people kept entering. Nearly every group that arrived seemed to be in a couple.

"I'm going to be honest with you" said Draco as they walked up to the door, "I took both my ex- wives here but only because the food is that amazing. I really do love this place"

"I don't mind"

He held the door open for her and let her walk through first, coming in behind her.

"How many?" asked the host from behind her stand.

"Two"

"Name?" she requested as she scribbled her quill across the reservation book.

"Malfoy"

"Twenty minutes"

"Thank You" Draco took Hermione's hand and led her away and towards the bar. They sat down on a couple of stools towards the far end of the bar.

The bar tender approached them. "What can I do you for?"

"Firewhiskey on the rocks and a split of your finest champagne."

The bartender nodded and set to work.

"You're not pulling that with me again Draco" warned Hermione.

"No tricks"

She eyed him warily as the bartender handed her drink.

"In all honesty, I should be the one worried about you taking advantage of me" Draco took hold of his drink and set a galleon on the counter. The bartender took it in hand and looked towards him for approval. Draco waved his hand, "Keep the change"

The bartender nodded in thanks and moved onto the next patron.

"What do you mean?" Hermione took a sip of the crisp drink in her hand.

"Have you already forgotten the last hour?"

"I was distraught-"

"-and sober" Draco took a sip of his whiskey and felt the familiar burn run down his throat.

"Well, I'm working on that now" replied Hermione as she took another drink.

"Now see? I think you're the one being tricky Hermione. You said that the first time you only did it because you were distraught and drunk. You just said that you're slightly upset and now you're getting drunk. I think that you're hoping I'll take advantage of you-"

"I am not"

"-you are too. And I have to warn you now. It's not going to work. I have a lot more control than you think. If you want me, you're going to have to ask this time." he shook his head and took another drink.

She chortled, "If I wanted you Draco I wouldn't have to ask."

"You think so?"

"I know so"

"Okay" he nodded his head, amused. "I think that when you finally admit that you want me, I'm going to have to make you beg for it"

Hermione busted into laughter, "You're hilarious. I'm never going to beg you to sleep with me Malfoy"

"Again, you say this now. But it's pretty obvious that you can't resist me"

"Fine, I admit. I had a moment of weakness. I've been lonely and sad about the divorce and I used you as a rebound for a second-"

"I'm a rebound? That's your excuse for your behavior?"

"Yup. It didn't mean anything and you have no sway over me whatsoever."

He leaned in towards her and whispered into her ear discreetly, "I could throw you onto this bar and have you cumming within minutes if I set my mind to it Hermione"

Her jaw froze open as she felt shivers run down the center of her back.

Draco turned back to his drink with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Hermione was still recovering when the host stepped back in and called them to their table, "Malfoy?"

Draco jumped off the stool and followed the host, "Hermione, you coming?"

"Yes" her pitch was unusually high as she responded.

The host led them to a corner booth and set down their menus. "Your server will be right with you" she said with a pleasant smile.

"Thank you" said Draco. He let Hermione slide in first before sitting down next to her.

Hermione buried herself in her menu. She couldn't look at him in that moment. He was still gazing at her with triumphed amusement.

They didn't speak until their waiter arrived.

"Welcome, how are we doing this evening?" asked the waiter with a warm smile.

"We're doing great" Draco reached over and took Hermione's hand.

She couldn't pull it back; it would have looked awkward and rude in front of their server. She couldn't think straight as her hand tingled from his touch.

"Were we celebrating any special occasions this evening?" asked the waiter expectantly.

"It's our anniversary" Draco lied with a sweet and innocent smile on his face. He leaned over and pressed a kiss onto her cheek.

She flushed.

"Ah, wonderful. Congratulations to both of you and thank you for celebrating with us tonight. May I start you with a beverage? Would you care to see a listing of our wine?"

"We'll take a bottle of your best champagne. The bartender knows which."

"I will be sure to check in with him then." The waiter continued to speak, going over the seasonal items they were currently showcasing.

The longer their waiter spoke, the closer Draco pulled her in. She was practically nestled into the crook of his arm by the time the waiter walked away.

She immediately pushed him off of her. He was laughing his face off.

"Our _anniversary_? Really Draco?"

He was grinning from ear to ear, "Just go with it"

"Well, I have to now. Or he's going to think we're crazy or suddenly getting divorced. And I'm already going through one divorce; I don't need to pretend that I'm having another"

"We make a better couple than you and Weasley at least"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm just saying that no one looks good on the arm of a ginger"

Hermione smacked him on the arm. "Stop"

"It's true. Don't hit me, our waiter is coming back. Play along"

She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm lovingly around Draco's upper arm and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Her hair still smelled of Pomegranates and Vanilla. Draco closed his eyes for a brief moment as he inhaled her fragrance.

The waiter presented their champagne and poured two glasses.

"You two look very happily married. May I ask how many years?"

"Eleven incredible years" bluffed Hermione. Draco smiled at her in agreement.

"That's great to hear. Where were you married?"

"In London" responded Draco without hesitation.

"I bet you were a gorgeous bride"

"She still is" said Draco. "I think that the only thing more beautiful than her on our wedding day would have to be our three gorgeous kids"

"You have three children? That's wonderful" said the waiter. He was obviously a hopeless romantic and Draco was sucking in every second of it.

Hermione felt her heart tear. Even in jest, the idea of her having kids that weren't a reality played with her heart strings. Draco felt her shoulders droop beside him.

"Are you alright Dear?"

"Ah…yes. Yes love" she pressed a smiled. "Just famished is all"

"Right, let me take your order" said the waiter as he pulled out his writing pad.

Draco ordered for the both of them as Hermione began to daze out. She didn't even realize when the waiter left.

"Hermione," he shook her arm. She let go of him. "What's wrong? Did I say something to upset you?"

"No, nothing's wrong." She shuddered herself out of her daze.

"Don't lie to me. I can tell that I hit something. What did I say?"

"Just, you know- I've always wanted kids…"

"Right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's okay. We were just playing around. It's alright, honestly"

"Hermione, you're going to find happiness one of these days. I know you will"

"Yup, just might take another ten years right?" she pulled her champagne in and let it comfort her.

"It's not going to take that long. I have a good feeling"

She finished her glass in a few seconds and refilled it.

"Hey now, none of that. We're celebrating our anniversary. Not drowning our sorrows in champagne."

She reached over and took a drink from his untouched glass. "Quiet you"

"So, tell me more about you that I don't already know," requested Draco curiously.

"What do you want to know?"

"You have an incredible library in your home. Why did you decide to open one?"

She couldn't help but smile, "Because of people like you"

"People like me? What are you talking about?"

"I wanted to create a haven of sorts for muggleborns to educate themselves on the magical world. So that they wouldn't have to feel left out or behind in the wizarding world."

"So, what you're saying is that you should be thanking me for all the years of bullying and torture?"

"No, I'm not saying that" she said sternly. He could tell she wasn't really mad. "Your rude behavior only inspired me to help prevent other muggleborns from going through what I went through."

"Was I really that bad?"

"The worst"

"But I've improved-"

"Not by much" she joked.

The waiter returned with their meals. Two succulent rock lobster tails with mashed potatoes and butter.

She had completely forgotten that Draco had ordered for her.

"This looks incredible"

"Enjoy" said the waiter before walking away.

The food tasted like heaven. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had spoiled herself like this.

She wiped her hands on the napkin rested in her lap when she was finished. "That was amazing. You were right the food here is great."

"Believe it or not, your food is even better than this"

"No, no it's not. That meal was absolute heaven."

The waiter returned and asked if there was anything else he could do for them. Draco told him that was all.

"Well then, I thank you both for coming in tonight. Happy Anniversary"

Hermione blushed. In the rush of her meal, she'd forgotten that Draco had said that. "Thank You" she murmured as he set the bill down between them.

Before she could open the bill Draco had slipped it out from under her hand. "Don't even think about it. I'm taking you out remember?"

"Thank you Draco"

"What kind of husband would I be if I didn't treat my wife to a night out on our anniversary?" He winked at her.

She laughed, "Just don't expect anything afterwards"

"Oh, don't worry. When I said I was going to make you beg for it, I meant it" he said with a sly smile as he set the bill back down with payment inside.

Hermione clutched onto his forearm suddenly. Her knuckles were white but her face was paler.

"What's wrong?" he looked to her confused. She was staring over at something.

Draco looked across the room. There was a couple being sat at the booth across the room from them. A man and a woman. The gentleman was placing kisses on the woman's neck as she giggled. They looked strangely familiar to him, but he couldn't place why.

Hermione looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

The woman across the room rolled her neck forward as the man next to her spread his kisses further back. They were putting on quite the show. Slowly her eyes lulled opened then unexpectedly snapped wide open in the same fashion as Hermione's.

The two women seemed to be staring at each other.

"Hermione, what's going?"

"That's Lavender Brown" she said with anger and hurt in her voice.

"Who's she with?"

"Dean Thomas. We went to school with him. He's supposed to be one of Ron's best friends."

"Isn't she supposed to be the woman Ron left you for?"

"Yes" Hermione had a vicious growl in her voice that Draco had never heard before.

"Come on Hermione, I think that we should go"

The look in her eyes told Draco that, even though she had said again and again that she wasn't interested in revenge, she was capable of murder. He took hold of her and led her out of the booth and away from the room.

Lavender's eyes followed the two of them all the way out of the room. Dean didn't notice a thing as he immersed himself further into the crook of her neck.

.

.

.

Dun, dun, dunnnn. Okay, so I have a sinus infection so I'm not going to be able to write the next chapter tonight as I'd planned to because I can't focus. :( I'll probably sit here in my snuggie, with my tea and read some fanfics tonight. So, if you have any suggestions on what I should read, make sure you leave your recommendations in your review. I'm, obviously, a fan of Draco/Hermione but I also read Ron/Hermione. After what I did with Ron in this story, I'll probably be banned from reading them again...lol Ah well, it was worth it. ;) Also, I start school tomorrow so my updating is going to slow down. :( But I promise to continue with the story until the end. :D x Thanks!


	21. Missing

Hermione was livid and ranting by the time they got back to her place. Draco had decided it best to take her wand away. He set them both down on the table and followed her into the sitting room as she stormed through it.

"That little whore! She can't just have one man can she? She had to have Dean _and_ take Ronald away from me, didn't she? Stupid little tramp…I should have pulled out my wand and showed her what's what. That's what I should have done…hexed her straight into judgment day. I hope she rots, I hope she rots in hell." She raved on as she paced across her sitting room.

Draco sat on the couch and watched her steam across the room, throwing her arms up in exasperation as more profanity spilled from her mouth.

"Hermione, I don't understand why you care. He deserves to be with the little two-timer-"

"Because, "Draco could hear the tears welling up in her voice, "because this means that he left me for nothing. Absolutely nothing" she collapsed onto the couch next to him.

"That's not true" he pulled her in, "Ron left you because he's an idiot who never saw that he had something incredible. Don't you waste one second feeling bad for him."

"I don't feel bad for him. I don't think…I just, how could he think that she was a better choice than me? What does she have that I don't?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, everything that makes you different from her is what makes you so amazingly beautiful Hermione."

"You don't even know her"

"I went to the same school as you did Hermione. I know enough about her to know that you're nothing like her. She's silly and frivolous. She had no decency, honor, loyalty or, clearly, discretion. Don't compare yourself to her. You're so much better than that"

She didn't reply. She just cried into his arms while he held her close.

"Do you know what I wish right now, Hermione?" Draco said softly as he pressed his lips onto the top of her head.

She clung on tighter to his waist as she burrowed her face into his body, "Hmm?"

"I wish that I had known you better all those years ago. I wish that I hadn't been so foolish back then. Because if I had known how incredible you were I would never have let you fall in love with him. I would have never let you get hurt"

She didn't know what to say to that. Her body turned and she adjusted herself on his lap, laying her head down on him while he ran his hands tenderly through her hair.

"Please don't leave me tonight" she frailly pleaded.

"I promise. I'm not going anywhere"

/

In the midst of her tears, Hermione had fallen asleep in Draco's lap sometime last night. She woke up laid out on the couch, Draco sitting beneath her head with his arm stretched over her. His head was laid back over the top of the couch.

She slowly sat up, careful not to wake him up. He didn't wake up but as soon as she moved he laid himself out on the couch and placed his head in her lap.

She couldn't help but smile. He looked incredibly sweet in his sleep. Temptation got the best of her, without much of a fight, and she let herself tenderly stroke the side of his face as he slept soundly in her lap.

Hermione jumped at the sound of rapid knocking at her front door. Carefully, she lifted Draco's head and set it down on a couch pillow before walking out of the sitting room.

It had been Ginny rapping intently at her door. Her stomach was really starting to show at this point with her and Harry's fourth child. The sight of her pregnancy filled Hermione with a short twinge of jealousy.

"What's wrong Ginny? Is everything okay?"

"You don't know do you?"

Hermione shook her head cluelessly at her, "Know what?"

Ginny welcomed herself in and sat down at the table. "Lavender left Ron last night"

"What?" if Hermione had been holding something in that moment, she would have dropped it.

Ginny nodded her head and continued. "Apparently, she went out last night and said that she saw you with some guy. Which, you're going to have to explain, by the way. But anyway, she said that you caught her with Dean Thomas and by the time she'd gotten home she'd assumed you'd already gone to Ron and told him everything"

"I didn't say a thing-"

"I know! That's the best part. Lavender thought she'd been caught red handed so she confessed everything to Ron. Apparently she and Dean have been sleeping together for years behind Ron's back. She said that she figured since Ron was able to be married to you while they had their life together, she was entitled to have someone on the side as well! But instead of trying to talk to Ron and work things out she was already fixed on leaving. Supposedly she transferred out more than half of his account and she's going to fight for full custody of the kids. Karma is a real bitch ain't it?"

Ginny was way too giddy about the whole thing, considering it was her brother she was talking about.

Hermione didn't know what to say. She was completely speechless. Ron had gotten what was coming to him, full circle. The woman who he had believed to be a better choice than had left him empty handed for another man. Hermione couldn't believe it.

"So, who were you out with last night? Please, tell me that you're over my brother. Because now that he's high and dry you absolutely cannot get back together. I know that your divorce isn't final but still. That cannot be an option for you"

"I didn't say I would get back with Ron."

"Good. Don't. Now, spill the beans. Who were you with last night?"

"Ah-you don't want to know"

Ginny realized then. "Really Hermione? Ron is getting what's coming to him. You can drop the whole act with Malfoy."

"There is no act Ginny. Draco and I are friends. I was feeling down last night so he took me out to dinner. That's all"

"Oh really? Than what's that?" asked Ginny as she eyed the two wands that were sitting on the table.

"Draco spent the night. So what?"

"_Where_ did Malfoy spend the night?" inquired Ginny.

"I really don't think that's any of your business Weaslette" Draco had entered the room. He looked slightly disgruntled from sleeping on the couch. Without being prompted, he started to put tea on.

Ginny looked as though she had a bad taste in her mouth. "Hermione, listen to me, as your friend. Drop the act with Malfoy and move on to bigger and better things. You deserve to be happy" she placed a friendly, assuring hand on Hermione's before she stood up to walk herself out. "As always, I'm here if you need me. Ciao"

"Thanks for filling me in Ginny" Hermione half-heartedly thanked her.

"Anytime" she closed the door behind her and was gone.

Draco slid a cup of tea in front of Hermione and replaced Ginny's chair with his own cup in hand.

"What was that about?"

Hermione sighed, "So, you remember how I saw Lavender last night?"

Draco nodded and took a deep drink of his tea, willing it to wake him up. He looked off; he'd slept in such an awkward position the night before.

"Well, that was Dean Thomas she was with. You remember him right? Anyway, Ginny came to tell me that Lavender left Ron for Dean last night thinking that I had gone to Ron and ratted her out. Evidently, she left him with almost nothing"

"You're kidding?" Draco was almost as wide eyed as Hermione had been.

"I don't think so."

"At least he got what he deserved"

It seemed that everyone felt that way. Hermione didn't feel good about it at all. In fact, she couldn't help but feel pity for Ron despite all he'd done to her. All she really wanted was to know is if he was okay or not. That didn't mean she wanted him back. But she did still care about his well-being.

Draco seemed to read her mind. "Don't talk to him Hermione"

"Who said I was going to?"

"That look on your face." He set his empty cup down. "He's none of your business anymore. He dug his hole; he can live in it now. He was the one who pushed you out of his life, remember? You don't need to be there for him right now"

"I know that. I'm just concerned is all. Ron really has no ability to take care of himself-"

"Not your problem"

"He can't function on his own-"

"Not your problem"

"Everyone is mad at him. No one is going to make sure he's okay-"

"Not your problem. Hermione, stop it. Weasley is not your problem" said Draco more forcefully.

"I still feel responsible-"

"Don't you dare."

"He's still my husband-"

"Stop talking like that"

"Draco…" she struggled to admit how she felt to him, "…I don't want to have to start over again, if I don't have to"

His face shattered. He couldn't t believe that she was saying that to him. She had been growing more independent and stronger with each passing day. Was she really going to just quit so easily?

"Hermione, you might want to give up on yourself and go back to that loser but I'm not going to let you"

"How is working out a marriage the same thing as giving up?"

"Because he doesn't love you! He doesn't give a damn about you Hermione!" Draco felt himself shouting. "All he cares about is himself. That's all. I know that you can see that"

Hermione pursed her lips in frustration.

"It's not even like he's here at your doorstep begging for you to come back. He's not! So don't sit here and talk like you're actually thinking of going back to that scum!"

There was a knock at the door.

"I swear to god Hermione, if that's him-"Draco's voice was filled with rage.

"Just sit here" she took his wand off the table, along with her own for good measure before answering the door.

It was Harry.

"Hermione, have you seen Ron?" his voice seemed frantic.

"No…why?"

"No one can find him. After Lavender left him yesterday he came over to our place in a right state. He vanished sometime last night and we still don't know where he went. I've been trying to reach him all morning. Ginny was _supposed_ to come here and ask you if you'd seen him but she apparently forgot." He rolled his eyes, "Anyway, I thought that maybe he'd come here?"

"For his sake, I hope he doesn't!" called out Draco from behind her.

Hermione shut her eyes in frustration, "Ignore him. No Harry, Ron hasn't been by here. If he stops by I'll let you know"

"Okay, thanks" he was about to turn and leave when Hermione stopped him.

"Harry, you'll let me know if you find him, wont' you?"

"Of course" he turned and left.

"Maybe he jumped off a bridge" suggested Draco.

"That's not funny" Hermione snapped.

"It's what he should do" Draco scowled.

"Ron may have hurt me but I don't wish ill on him."

"You don't have to. I wish enough ill on him for the both of us"

Hermione was getting stressed out and Draco's comments weren't helping. "Don't you have somewhere to be today?" she snapped.

"Yeah, here."

"I have work to do" she said sharply as she walked past him and went upstairs.

.

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.

A:N/ I keep saying I'm not going to update and yet I still do... Still sick with a sinus infection, bleagh, so keep leaving fanfic recommendations in your reviews. Good stories make me feel better. Yay! x Hope you liked the chapter, remember to review. Thanks!


	22. Intrusion

Draco was gone from the kitchen and the sitting room when Hermione came back downstairs. She'd passed by the library on her way down. He hadn't been in there either.

She didn't know what she'd been expecting. Of course he wasn't going to wait around for her when she'd been so unreasonable. Draco was right, Ron was a git and she shouldn't feel sorry for him

Regardless, she had a hard time settling with the heaviness in her gut. She wanted to just send an owl. Even if Ron was avoiding the world, she was sure he wouldn't ignore her. Especially if Lavender was no longer in the picture.

Hermione furiously shook her head to reset her thoughts. Ron was a grown wizard, he was fine. He could take care of himself. He didn't need her. Not only did he not need her, he didn't _want_ her. He'd made that perfectly clear when he left her for another woman. Another _life_.

But still, after everything they'd been through, she wanted to at least know that he was okay.

She caved in and despite her better judgment she pulled out a quill and parchment.

_Ron,_

_ I heard what happened. Well…I actually saw what happened but that's not why I'm writing this. I just want to know that you're okay. Get in touch with Harry. He's worried about you. _

She pondered for a moment then added,

_Don't do anything stupid._

_ Hermione_

There, short and impersonal. No foul. She sent it out and left for work.

/

By the end of the day, Ron hadn't responded and Harry never got in touch with her to let her know if he was okay.

Now she was getting worried.

Ron had always been the kind of man to over react to things and act on his emotions before he thought things out. If he really had just lost most of his wealth, the supposed love of his life, and his kids then there was no knowing what he would do.

She tried not to think of the possibilities as she went to bed. She was still sleeping on the couch. She pulled her pillow up close to her chest. Draco's scent still lingered on it from the night before. She wondered what he was doing in that moment. It was still fairly early but she preferred sleep to staying up all night worried about her soon to be ex-husband.

Her body relaxed as her mind began to wander off. She started to think about her kiss with Draco. His lips had tasted so sweet. Without a doubt, he was a better kisser than anyone she'd ever kissed before. He was responsive and patient. Unlike Krum or Ron who both seemed overly eager to devour her face whenever she had been in the mood to explore and linger. It had always been too awkward to do that with any man before. But Draco had a touch about him. He could listen to someone when there were no words to be heard. It was incredibly attractive.

Sleep was luring her closer as her eyes began to droop down and her breathing started to mellow.

Her venture to sleep was interrupted by an incredibly loud banging at her front door.

Hermione groaned as she sat up, "I should just take the damn door off the hinges" she grumbled aloud as she dragged herself to answer it.

It was Ron.

He was more intoxicated then she'd ever seen him in her life. He could barely stand as he swayed from side to side, supporting himself on the doorway.

"You know…itspossible it's-it's possible to drink yourself to death yeah? But I found that…it's _much_ harder to do in reality than one might think"

His eyes were periodically rolling back as he slurred. Hermione was afraid he was going to fall over or pass out in her door way.

"Ron, what are you doing?"

He scrambled through his pockets and pulled out a crumbled piece of parchment.

Her owl.

"I got your leddar…your letter" he straightened it out and paraphrased it in his own drunken interpretation, "Ron- Are you okay?"

He looked to her with drunken eyes. "No, not really. I'm not okay." He continued to read the wrong words off the letter, "Harry cares about you.- I don't care…Don't-don't do anyting stupid."he looked at her with an off grin on his face, "too late! I'm starting to think that i-I'm not capability…erm, capable of anything other than being a moron. Really."

"Ron, why aren't you at home?"

He started to cackle, "So, so…You know what's funny? She-she cheated on _me_…and yet, _she _is the one who kicked _me_ out! So I guess…I'm kind of homeless? Right now? Okay?"

"How was she able to take your money? Cant you get a hotel room?"

"She made me transfer allllll my funds into a joint account. You- you never made me do that. But _she _did" he pointed as if she were standing right behind Hermione. "She made me do that and nowwww, all my monies are gone!" he kept laughing like he was mad.

"You're a mess Ron" Hermione groaned. His clothes were either disheveled or missing. His breath smelled of every kind of booze imaginable. His hair was sticking out in every direction and his face couldn't make up its mind on how it wanted to look as it continued to slump down in a drunken haze.

"Can I come in?"

"No!"

He gave her his best attempt at a pleading face. It was pathetic. "Puwease?" he put his hands together to beg and nearly fell.

She rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you? Get inside before I change my mind and leave you out here."

"Thank you" he clamped his hand on her shoulder and used her to brace himself as he staggered inside. She walked him over to the bed she'd had set up on the couch. He collapsed onto it.

"You-you were always the better woman Hermione. Always" he slurred just before he passed out.

"Grrr" she raised her fist as if she was going to strike him. He didn't notice as he began to snore.

She stormed out of the room and slammed a piece of parchment down.

_Harry_

_ The idiot is with me. He's safe_

_ Hermione_

Despite her sudden burst of anger, Hermione was still drowsy from how exhausted she felt. The idea of sleeping in what used to be _their_ bed still didn't appeal to her so she pulled the blanket violently out from underneath Ron. He was too drunk to care if he was warm anyway.

She lay down on the adjacent couch and just stared at the man lying near her. Okay, she glaring more so than staring. How could he find it so easy to trust her after what he'd done? If she wanted to, she could have her revenge right now, in that moment. She knew a fair amount of violent hexes that she could cast at him as he slept before her, unaware.

She entertained a variety of ways she could torture Ron in her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

/

Hermione had decided that she no longer needed an alarm clock. The world was determined to use her door to interrupt any kind of sleep or relaxation she would find.

She squinted her eyes. The sun was pouring in.

At least it was morning and not the middle of the night.

She dragged herself to the door and flung it open, agitated.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" her eyes were still closed from the blare of direct sunlight on her face.

"It's after noon. I think that it's you who has no concept of the current time"

That snide remark would only come from one person.

"Morning Draco" she cracked one eye open and kept the other one closed against the glare of the sun.

He walked inside. "Any news on the Weasel?"

"He's sleeping on my couch"

"You're kidding" Draco froze where he stood.

She shook her head. "Nope. No jokes this time. He showed up last night completely intoxicated on my doorstep."

Draco looked at her like she was crazy.

"Don't look at me like that; he doesn't have anywhere else to go right now"

"That's not your problem Hermione" Draco desperately reminded her.

"It is my problem. He's still _technically_ my husband Draco"

"Technicality has nothing to do with it. You need to kick his sorry ass out of your home this instant. If you don't have the gusto for it, I'd be happy to oblige" said Draco as he eagerly began to withdraw his wand.

Hermione held her hand up to stop him. "I'm just going to let him sleep it off"

He looked at her warily.

"I mean it" she assured him.

"I'm going to stay until he leaves" said Draco.

"I don't think that's a good idea-"

Draco pointed towards the sitting room where Ron was passed out, "And I don't think _that's_ a good idea"

"Why do you care Draco?"

"I thought it'd be obvious by this point that we're at least friends Hermione. I care about what happens to you"

"And I care about what happens to him"

"Which is insane"

"Yes, I know. But that's the way it is"

He pulled out a chair and sat down stubbornly. "Than if you insist on making a bad decision I'm going to be here for you, at the least"

"He's going to flip out when he wakes up and sees you here"

"Let him" Draco shrugged as he crossed his arms.

"Draco…"

"Hermione…" he jutted his head forward with slight attitude, mocking her.

"I'm a grown woman. I can take of myself"

"He's a grown…idiot. He can take of himself too."

Just then, their argument was interrupted by a loud thump.

Hermione rushed over to the sitting room. Ron had rolled of the couch. He sat on the floor holding onto his pounding head.

Draco walked up behind her, looking over his shoulder. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Oww, fuck me. My head is splittin'" groaned Ron.

"Well, I suppose that's what you get for trying to drink yourself into oblivion" scolded Hermione.

"Yeah, guess so" Ron rubbed his eyes and pulled himself up. "Do you have any hangover tonic?"

"Why would I have that Ron?"

"Wishful thinking" muttered Ron. He sat back on the couch and looked over at her. "What the blazes is he still doing here?"

"Draco is a guest in my house Ron."

"A _welcomed _one at that" poked Draco with a smirk on his face.

"Fuck off ferret"

"Ron, one more comment out of you like that and you can find a sidewalk to sleep on tonight" warned Hermione.

"So, am I right to assume that Malfoy is the bloke Lav saw you with?"

"Yes, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Just curious. Didn't take you very long to get over me, now did it?" he said bitterly.

"Who said I was over you?" she replied angrily.

Draco looked taken aback by what she'd said. So did Ron. They looked at each other and glared; a territorial flicker exchanged between the two.

Hermione caught the exchange and quickly explained herself. "First of all, I'm still incredibly furious with you Ronald Weasley. You do not have my sympathy, nor do you have my forgiveness. Secondly, who I go out with is entirely my business-"

"So, you're dating him then?" asked Ron with a sick look on his face.

"Actually-"interjected Draco, "We were celebrating our eleventh wedding anniversary when we caught your mistress cheating on you". He couldn't resist poking fun at Weasley when he was down.

"What?" said Ron confused, still gripping his head in pain.

"Ignore him" said Hermione. "No, we're not dating. I'm not dating anyone"

"It _was _a date. I asked you out, you said yes"

"It was a returned favor. You took me out because you were obligated"

"I took you out because you straddled in me the library"

Hermione turned a brilliant shade of red.

"So you _are_ fucking him then? You lied to me before-"

"Shut up Ron. No one lied to you. I am not currently having sex with anyone. Not that it's any of your business."

"Currently. She's not _currently_ having sex with me. Not to say that she doesn't _want_ to." emphasized Draco from over her shoulder. Hermione elbowed him.

Ron decided to change the topic. He didn't like what he was hearing. "Look, I know that I'm not in any position to be asking favors. Especially from you. But my name is still on the title of this house and I don't have anywhere to stay-"

"That doesn't sound like you're _asking _me anything" said Hermione, her eyes flashing with agitation.

Ron started over. "You're right. I'm sorry. Hermione, may I please take advantage of you undeserved hospitality and stay in my own house while I figure out where I'm going to live?"

"Still not good enough" she folded her arms.

Draco nodded in agreement. "Pretty rude and pathetic plea if you ask me."

"Fuck off Malfoy, stay out of this. Hermione, look. I'm desperate. I have nothing right now. It's going to take me time to get back on my feet"

"Doesn't sound like my problem" Hermione quoted Draco. Draco smiled proudly at her remark.

"It's not. I'm not your problem anymore after what I did, I understand that. But I have no one else to turn to. Ginny is livid with me. Neville and Luna don't have room at their house. Mum doesn't have the burrow anymore now that she and dad downsized to a smaller place. All my brothers have families-"

"Fine Ron, fine. Stay here for a few days if you need to but stay out of my way. And let me make it clear that you're not wanted here. You'll be tolerated"

"I'm going to need more than a few days"

"Whatever. Just stay out of my way" she turned around and stormed upstairs. Draco followed her up, following close behind.

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A:N/ Still sick :( But, I bet a bunch of reviews would help me feel better! XD (Also, I just started a new fic called Prohibited Behavior just in care you're interested?) x


	23. Frustrations

Hermione went straight to her room and slammed the door just after Draco walked in.

"You're letting him stay?"

"I don't have much of a choice Draco. He's right. His name is still on the title. It's just as much his house as it is mine. We haven't signed the final divorce papers. He has every legal right to be here as I do" she fumed.

"He could conveniently stay missing?" Draco suggested as he gripped his wand.

"No" Hermione persisted, "Besides. Harry already knows he's here. I owled him to let him know he's alright"

"Do you want me to stay over while he's here? To make sure you're alright?"

"He's not going to do anything to me"

"I don't trust him. You could always stay at my place if you wanted to Hermione" Draco offered.

Hermione shook her head, "No, that'd be too weird. I don't want to leave him alone in my house. I have to stand my ground. He's not going to take my home away from me."

"Let me drop by at least, from time to time to make sure you're alright"

"You already do that" she pointed out.

"Ok yeah, I guess that's true"

There was a light knock at the door.

"What do you want Ron?" asked Hermione agitated.

Ron cracked open the door and peeked in. "Can I talk to you?"

Hermione waited expectantly.

"Alone?" he clarified.

Hermione looked to Draco. He was seething at Ron. "I'll be okay Draco." She gently touched his arm to assure him.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me"

He made sure to stare down Ron, intimidating him as he walked past him and out of the room.

Ron walked in slowly, mostly from feeling run down by his hangover.

"I could hear you in the hall," he explained.

"Do I need to get a lawyer?"

"No, I'm not going to change anything in the settlement. I'm not going to take the house"

"So then as soon as I sign the final papers this week, I can kick you out?"

"If you wanted to, yeah, I guess you could but I would hope you wouldn't."

"Why shouldn't I Ron? In fact, why shouldn't I hex you within an inch of your life right now where you stand?"

"You should" he agreed.

She bit her tongue and listened.

"You really should and I would deserve it one hundred percent. But I know you Hermione and I know you're better than that. I also know that no matter how much you hate me, regardless of how justified that hate is, you still care about me. We've been through too much for you not to"

"How can you assume I still care about you when you don't have a care in the world for me?"

"I never said that I didn't care"

"Actions speak louder than words"

"I do care about you Hermione"

The words felt like a boulder striking the walls she had built around her heart.

"No you don't" she insisted.

"Yes, I do. I may have fallen out of love with you but that doesn't mean I don't care. I lead my life the way I did for so long because I couldn't bare the idea of hurting you. If I hadn't cared I would have left you from the beginning. For some stupid reason, I thought I could make it work. I honestly believed I could keep the both of you happy and avoid any kind of heart ache."

"You loved her more than you loved me. You gave her _everything_ I had ever asked you for" she seethed.

"You know what's funny Hermione? Lavender always said the same thing about you. That you had all the security, the name, the ring, the home, the money; everything she wanted from me-you had. And everything she supposedly had was what you wanted. I guess I got the whole thing backwards"

"I would never have done to you what you did to me Ron. Never"

"I know. And I'm sorry for that, I honestly am."

"Really? All the sudden you give a damn about me? What happened to everything you said last time you were here? I thought that I was frigid and not worth much?"

"I just said that because I was livid that you were fucking Malfoy"

"I'm not fucking Malfoy"

"You said that you did-"

"Once"

"Once?" he clarified.

"Once" she reiterated. "I got drunk one night, trying to get over you and we had a one night stand. I tried to explain that to you last time but you were too busy being a twat."

"So you're not sleeping with him?"

"No"

"And you're not in love with him?"

"No"

Ron looked relieved. "Good"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're still my wife" he stated possessively.

Hermione started to walk away from him and head towards the door, "Fuck you Ron" she spat.

Ron reached forward and grabbed her arm to stop her. She ripped her arm away from his grasp.

"No, you don't get to ruin my life and then force yourself back in because your little back up plan back fired."

"I made a mistake" Ron rashly stated.

"You're only saying that because you're desperate and alone"

"Mione'-" Ron began.

"No, don't call me that. You don't get to call me that anymore." She was pissed.

He kept pushing his point, "I think that you do miss me 'Mione" he completely ignored her request not to call her that. "Ginny told me about how you've been using Malfoy as a tactic to get back at me. To get me jealous. You wouldn't do something like that if you didn't want me to miss you."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "How did that sister of yours get such a big mouth?"

"So, it's true?"

"No, that's not true. My friendship with Draco has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with you Ron"

Hermione stood there fuming for a few minutes while Ron patiently watched her.

"Let me ask you something" she broke the silence.

"Hmm?" Ron sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Did you have any idea Lavender was sleeping with Dean?"

"None. Did you have any clue that I was with Lavender?"

"Not one. I trusted you entirely"

"I guess I put my trust in the wrong woman."

Hermione scoffed and threw her hands up in the hair. "Ron…I don't even know what to say…you are just so-so…Grr!"

He smiled sheepishly, "I never said I was perfect"

"Ron, I never required perfection out of you. I could have settled for decent. That's what you've been missing for years- decency!"

She looked at him watching her and felt completely enraged. "I need to get away from you right now. Please don't follow me"

She walked out and slammed the door behind her.

Draco ran up the steps at the sound of the door slamming and met her at the top of the staircase. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I just want to get out of here" she demanded.

"Right away" He ran back down the stairs, she followed him down and out the front door.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked her.

"Anywhere, anywhere but here"

"Your wish is my command" he held her closed and stepped forward, apparating them away.

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A:N/ So, I'm going to be honest. I'm NOT giving up on the story. I will NEVER give up on it. But I AM getting a little drained. Ive written alot this month and my muse is starting to kick me in the face. On top of that my work is going to get really busy within the next week and school is damanding my attention. So, if my updates start to get spaced out DONT freak out or stop reading. I PROMISE I'm still writing and I'll continue to update until the story is complete. Just keep reading and remember to review! x Thanks! d-_-b


	24. Library Sanctuary

"Draco" Hermione paused.

"Yeah Hermione?"

"You brought me to _work_? Seriously?" she looked around at the shelves of books surrounding her.

Draco shrugged, "It's the first place I thought that you'd want to be."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat down at one of the tables.

"We can leave if you don't want to be here. I can always take you to my place"

She held up her hand to stop him as she buried her head into the palm of the other. A throbbing in her temple was warning her that a headache was not far from setting in. "No, no, this is fine. Going to your place would be…odd, right now"

Draco pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. He sat there in silence as he watched her stress out. Her headache seemed to have set on. Hermione let her head down to rest on the crook of her arm as she leaned forward onto the table.

The back of her neck was exposed as her hair slid off to the side and Draco couldn't resist the urge to caress a finger down the nape of it. Hermione adjusted her head and rested it on the opposite side. She didn't make a protest; she just sighed contently and closed her eyes.

Draco's hand gently wrapped around the circumference of her neck and gently began to massage. She let out a grateful moan as he started to work out the tension that was causing her headache.

"Thank you" she muffled into her arm.

He smiled in response and continued to work at her neck, rubbing out the strain.

"You're going to make me fall asleep" Hermione mumbled a few minutes later as Draco's massage made its way down to her upper shoulders.

Draco leaned over her and gently pressed a kiss at the bottom of her neck. She shivered.

"Go ahead then" he whispered in her ear before planting another kiss on the back of her neck.

He was waiting for her to scold him for his actions as he continued to rub her shoulders. But she just lay there, content with his hands working through her. He picked up a bit more confidence and decided to place another kiss in-between her shoulder blades, he trailed a few more kisses up her spine until he veered off to the side of her neck.

Hermione started to breathe a little heavier as each kiss tingled through her until it reached her core. Draco was starting to get near a certain spot on her neck that drove her absolutely insane. With reservation she reached up behind herself and pushed his head away gently. It wasn't in a way that told him to get off immediately, but to please pause what he was currently doing before he drove her crazy.

He got the hint loud and clear and went back to massaging her shoulders after placing a final kiss, letting his lips linger for a few extra moments.

Her heart was still pounding in her chest and it didn't help when Draco leaned over again and whispered in her ear, "If you like the way it feels when I kiss you there, you should see how it feels when I kiss you other places…" he ran a finger down the curve of her body and across the length of her back. The shiver that cascaded down her spine was strong enough to cause her to sit up.

There was a spark of lust in her eyes when she turned to look at him.

It quickly fled as a staff member rounded the corner and spotted them. "Oh Ms. Granger. I didn't know you were coming in today"

"I'm not" her response was almost too quick, too tense; like a teenager being caught somewhere she shouldn't be.

"Oh…okay, good to see you" the staff member gave her a polite smile and continued to walk past.

Draco still had a hand placed on her back. Hermione was overly aware of his touch.

"Are you alright Hermione?"

The stress tension was coming back, Hermione closed her eyes. "Ron says that he still cares about me"

"You know that's not true"

"No, I don't Draco"

"Someone who loved you would never do what he did"

"I didn't say he loved me. He doesn't love me, he cares about me. His words. Anyway, People make mistakes."

"Not like that. I would never do that to you Hermione" he waited for her to respond but she just shut her eyes and buried her face back into her hands, "You just give me the word and I'll kick his sorry ass to the curb. I don't care if his name is on the title or not."

"It wouldn't help Draco. It would just make things worse. He said that he's not going to change any of the arrangements that we have but I would just feel better knowing that this divorce was finalized and he didn't have any leverage over me."

"When will final papers be available to sign?"

"At the end of the week."

Draco reached across the table and took hold of her hand. His finger grazed over her knuckle affectionately as he looked her directly in the eyes, "I'm not going to leave your side Hermione. I'll stay with you until he leaves."

Hermione gave him a weak smile, "Thank you Draco but you don't have to stick around. I'll be fine. Ron isn't going to-"

"I'm staying for_ you_. You need a friend right now"

"I have Harry, Luna and-"

Draco cut her off, squeezing her hand gently. "And now you have me too."

"Having you around is just going to add to the tension."

Draco's smirk was anything but innocent, "As if we could be in the same room and not have tension."

Hermione smiled as a modest blush overcame her. Draco continued to speak, "Tension isn't the problem Hermione. I promise that I won't antagonize the Weasel more than he deserves. But you shouldn't give a damn over how he feels about us. What you do with your life is none of his business."

"Us?" asked Hermione, intrigued.

"Yeah, you know. You and me, our friendship" he clarified, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"You're right. I shouldn't care about what Ron thinks. I'm doing him a favor after all. He should be walking on eggshells around me, not the other way around."

"Exactly" Draco held out his hand. "Are you ready to go back?"

Hermione nodded her head and accepted his hand. They stood up and Draco gently pulled Hermione closer to him. She allowed herself to be pulled against his firm chest, grasping his shoulders as he side along apparated her back home.

They stood for a minute in front of her door. Hermione took a deep breath, clearing herself of remaining stress.

"Are you okay?" Draco raised her chin between two of his long, soft fingers, directing her to look at him. She nodded and opened the door to her home.

They could hear Ron speaking to someone in the sitting room. They both peeked into the room as they walked past. He was speaking to someone in the fireplace.

"Want me to listen in?" Draco whispered.

"No, no, don't do that. Let's just get upstairs" she continued to walk straight to her bedroom.

"I'm nervous about tonight" she confessed to him as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Why are you nervous?" Draco shut and locked the door and cast a silencing charm over the room, incase Weasley got any ideas of eavesdropping."

"I haven't slept in my room since Ron left." she admitted as she pulled the corner of the covers across her lap. Her hands fiddled nervously with the edge, as she bunched it over between her palms.

Draco sat down beside her and took the blanket out her hand. "Why not?"

Hermione shrugged and took the blanket back. Draco left it alone. "It just- it's always felt like _our_ bed, you know? Our martial bed. It's never felt like just mine. It feels wrong to be in here alone."

"If it would help you, I could sleep in here with you tonight?"

"That's not what I meant. What I mean to say is that it feels wrong to sleep in here without Ron." Hermione chuckled in disbelief, "It's so stupid because I've slept alone in this bed so many nights waiting for him to come home. I feel so stupid"

"You're not stupid. It makes sense, why it would make you uncomfortable."

"I'm glad you understand"

Draco stood up and began to straighten her bed out.

"If anything, let me help you fall asleep then?"

"Draco, you don't need to do that" said Hermione as she got up to accommodate him as picked up the comforter.

"Friends remember?" Draco said with a smirk as he lifted the comforter in the air and let it fall gracefully back down to the bed.

"You realize I don't have a guest room, don't you? If you're serious about staying while he's here then you'll have to sleep on one of the couches."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Why don't you go change into something more comfortable?" Draco walked around and started to fluff up each pillow as Hermione pulled a set of night clothes out of her dresser and walked into her bathroom to change.

Hermione pulled her hair out of its tie and let it fall out loose and wild, after changing into something comfortable. It was still a bit odd for her to have a friendship with Draco. Odd, but enjoyable none the less. She'd spent so much time in this home alone and now she had two men inhabiting it that she wouldn't be able to rid herself of. It was funny how fast things could change.

She turned to face the mirror and began to adjust a few of her curls in the mirror.

If Hermione were to be honest with herself, she knew that Draco was starting to develop feelings for her. But things still felt too complicated within her to admit that. Having Ron back in her life, in any form, was bringing up a plethora of emotions. Trying to think about the way she felt about Draco would only serve to overwhelm her.

It was true that she enjoyed the feel of his hands caressing her skin. His touch soothed her in a way that she couldn't recall Ron ever making her feel. His kisses tantalized her skin and set her on edge. When he looked at her in a certain way she was filled with a reclaimed lust. But she had to remember that she was getting out a relationship that lasted, quite a few years more than a ten year marriage. If her feelings for Draco were genuine, she wanted to be sure of it. She didn't like to think that she'd be the kind of woman who would use a man as a rebound.

"Just go with what feels right" she advised her reflection with a sigh. "Don't over think things"

It was so like her to overanalyze the way that she felt. It would be difficult to convince herself that it was okay to care for another man in an intimate way. Her heart had been programed for one man for so long, and that man was downstairs in that very moment.

With another sigh, Hermione pushed open the bathroom door and walked back into her room.

Draco gently thrust a warm mug into her hands. The contents were softly steaming, the aroma luring her to take a drink.

"What'd you put in it?" she asked suspiciously.

"Just something to help you calm down" admitted Draco as he tipped the rim up to her lips. "Don't you trust me?"

"Not entirely" teased Hermione with a skeptical look on her face. Regardless, she allowed herself to drink. The contents ran tenderly down her throat and instantly made her drowsy.

Draco could tell that the effects had kicked in immediately. He took the cup out of her hand and set it down as he held his hand behind her back. He'd seen people drop down to the floor under the effects before and he didn't want her to fall.

"What was that?"

"Family secret" he replied as he gingerly led her to the bed and laid her down.

Hermione allowed herself to be tucked in as she yawned and turned onto her side.

"I'm so tired, it's unbelievable" she said through a yawn.

Draco knelt beside the bed and smiled. "Good, that means its working."

Hermione's eyes fell shut as Draco's hand caressed the side of her face.

"'Night" she mumbled as sleep rapidly pulled her under.

Draco tenderly kissed her forehead and watched her sleep for a moment; her body gracefully rising and falling. He stood up and pulled the covers up to the top of her shoulders. "G'night Hermione"

He watched her for a moment longer before turning off her lights and heading downstairs where he would be rooming with Ron Weasley for the next week.

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A:N/ Sorry for the long wait between updates. :/ Trying to keep writing between school and work but it's more difficult than I anticipated. I'm going to try really hard to not make you wait another week for the next chapter. No promises though. Thanks for the continued support and remember to keep reading. Also, feel free to check out my new ficlet series 'Flashes of Dramione'. It's a little challenge I participated in to kick off the writer's block. Thanks! x


	25. Morning

"What were you doing up there?" asked Ron suspiciously as he lay on his couch.

"Wouldn't you like to know" snided Draco. He picked up a few pillows that were stacked in the corner and grabbed a spare blanket from the closet before settling himself down onto the second sofa.

"Who were you talking to in the fireplace?" inquired Draco.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ron threw back at him.

"She's not going to let you stay after the divorce papers are signed, you know"

"Says you" Ron rolled onto his side facing the inside of the couch so he couldn't see Draco anymore.

"Weasley, I always knew you were the scum of the earth. But clearly, I had no idea how low that status could drag you. What you did is unforgivable and if it were up to me you'd be out on the streets right now. Frankly, you taking advantage of her kindness and hospitality it utterly despicable"

"There's nothing despicable about a man coming to his wife"

"You're a laugh. Is this some kind of joke to you? Do you really think that you can just pretend that the two of you still mean something after everything you put her through?"

"I'm not explaining myself to you Malfoy"

"I don't need you to explain anything Weasel, I understand completely. Hermione may be content with you staying here for the week but if you step one toe out of line, you'll find my wand so far up your arse I'll be shooting out spells through your teeth"

"Malfoy, feck off, I'm not afraid of you. Also, you should know that when Hermione gets out of the state of grief she's in, she's going to come to her senses."

"What are you talking about?"

"At the moment, she can't see your true character. But I haven't forgotten how foul you are. You find me despicable? I don't think that taking advantage of a lonely woman is much better"

"No one is taking advantage of Hermione, aside from you."

"Getting her drunk and having your way with an incapacitated woman isn't taking advantage-?"

"Weasley, she was drunk when I met her and so was I. You just don't want to come to terms with the idea that she willingly had her thighs wrapped around me-"

"Shut up" Ron gritted through clenched teeth.

Draco chuckled, "Have a good night dreaming of that little image" Draco had the final word before he turned himself over and shut his eyes with a satisfied smirk on his face.

/

Hermione was the last person to awake the next morning. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so well. The potion Draco had given her made her sheets literally feel like pillows. Her sleep was without dreams and without worries; just pure comfort and relaxation. As she rounded the corner her nostrils twitched at the sense of a new aroma filling the room. It was enticing.

"Oh my god what is that smell?" she asked to no one in particular as she walked into the kitchen.

"Morning" said Ron as he served up eggs, bacon and toast onto two plates. Draco was scowling as he sat at the table, nursing his cup of tea and eating a scone with lemon icing.

She should have figured it was Ron cooking. Draco had already told her he was a horrid cook. But it had been years since Ron had made a meal for her.

Hermione poured herself a cup of tea and sat down next to Draco with her legs crossed. Ron slid a plate in front of her.

"Did you ask if Draco wanted any?"

"Nope" said Ron lightly as he began to shovel eggs into his mouth.

"That's a bit rude don't you think?"

"Pretty sure he's capable of feeding himself." argued Ron.

"I am" interjected Draco with a gruffness in his tone.

Hermione would have told Ron off for being a git and passed up the breakfast he'd made if she hadn't been so hungry that morning. A good night sleep will do that to you.

The eggs were light, fluffy and tasted incredible. "Mmm" she couldn't help but express her satisfaction out loud. Ron smiled and moved his chair closer to her.

"Do you want some Draco? I'm aware of how much you hate Ron but his cooking really is quite good." Hermione forked some egg up and before Draco could really protest, she'd passed it through his lips.

Ron scowled. He hadn't made Hermione breakfast so that she could use it as a tool to hit on the ferret.

Draco shrugged and looked directly at Ron, "I've had better" he took a deep drink of his tea, as if to wash the taste from his mouth.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You have not" she took another few bites.

"Hermione, can I speak to you after breakfast?" asked Ron.

"You can speak to me right now Ron."

Draco set his tea down and looked to Ron expectantly.

"I'd rather speak to you alone-"

"And I'd rather speak to you right here."

Ron sighed and gave in, "I spoke to my attorney last night"

"In the fireplace?" Draco verified.

Ron ignored him, "I found out last night that Lavender told him that she's planning on seeking full custody of our children."

"Sorry to hear that Ron," Hermione said with mild remorse.

"I guess, I'm-" Ron started to push his food around his plate, "I'm scared that I'm going to lose my kids, you know? At first when she'd said she was going to go for full custody, I guess I hadn't really believed her. Now that she's actually going to pursue it, it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I understand she's mad at me, but I have every right to be just as angry with her. How can she feel obliged to try a stunt like this?"

The entire time Ron spoke, Draco sat and watched Hermione's face to judge her expressions in response. The second he said something to upset her he was going to force him to be quiet. She had gotten upset with him when he had just _pretended_ to the waiter that they'd had kids. But if Ron talking about the kids that should have been hers was actually upsetting her, she sure wasn't showing it. Hermione's face was stone set on a remorseful and understanding response. No doubt it was forced but he admired her for being able to put up a front so well in the face of the enemy. He didn't deserve to see her weakened.

As Ron continued to whine about having to set up a face to face meeting with his attorney and the hassles of family court, Draco couldn't help but muse to himself over how grateful he felt that they'd never had kids. Although Hermione was incredibly attractive, something would just seem off it there were a few bushy haired gingers running around. Then again, if they did have kids they would probably still be together and Draco would be alone in his house perfecting a new hobby for the hundredth time.

He focused back in on what was being said.

"Why did you feel like you could have kids with Lavender and not with me?" there was a slight edge of pain in her voice. Hermione was running her finger nervously around the rim of her mug. She was coming lose, Draco could sense it. He stretched out his arm supportively and took hold of her hand, pulling it away from the mug she was playing with.

Draco didn't need to look up to see the flicker of jealously quickly ignite in Ron's eyes to know it was there. The tenseness that inched its way into his tone gave it away.

"I didn't feel like I deserved to have kids with you." Ron adjusted uncomfortably.

"You would have been right" Draco interjected.

Hermione shot him a look that said he was rudely interrupting but she didn't let go of his hand.

"What?" Draco shrugged, "you _are_ having this conversation right in front of me"

"He's got a point" said Ron, trying to move the conversation to somewhere more private. His eyes kept moving to look at their hands, still entwined on the table. It was driving him nuts. Every part of him wanted to reach forward and tear them apart.

Hermione didn't seem fazed by any of it. She ignored them both and continued asking questions. "So why did you deserve to have them with her then?"

"She's flawed. Just like I am."

"I have flaws"

"Yeah, but not like that. I never really felt like I deserved you Hermione. Even when we were happy-"

"So you cheated on me because I was too perfect?" she asked in disbelief.

"Something like that. 'Mione, I never said that what I did was smart or justified. But I'll own up to what I did. Everything I did to you was wrong and I'm sorry"

"You're sorry?"

"What else can I say?"

"I don't know, but sorry doesn't cut it" emotion was beginning to push through in her shaky voice. Draco couldn't help it; he reached forward and wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her into his chest. Ron's eyes roared with jealousy as he leaned forward aggressively but he didn't say anything in protest of it.

Hermione was trying so hard not to cry in front of Ron. She was in pain and she was angry. Her tears were mostly from frustration but Ron wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Her perfect morning was quickly spiraling downward. She was well aware that her current state was probably sending Ron into a tizzy, but she didn't care. Draco's embrace was comforting and she needed to feel like she was standing on solid ground again. She allowed herself to take a few deep breaths and pulled herself away.

"You okay?" asked Draco, his grey eyes full of genuine concern as he maintained eye contact with her. As if he were evaluating her true emotional state past her words and body language.

Hermione nodded sincerely, "I'll be fine. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. Talking about what happened isn't going to change the choices you made" she addressed Ron once more, who seemed a tad relieved that she was out of Malfoy's embrace.

She continued, "Nothing you say will justify it or make it okay and nothing I feel will change the past."

"Right, so let's just focus on the future" said Ron with optimism.

Hermione stood up and straightened herself out. "Well see if a future even exists between us Ron. Let's just start there." She stole one last glance at Draco and excused herself from the kitchen.

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A:N/ Okay, I'll well aware that update took like a million years. But here's why. So, I don't know if you've heard of the Biggest Loser on NBC? Well, my local NBC station is hosting a local Biggest Loser. 5 local gyms compete, 5 teams, 25 competitors and I made it onto one of the teams! Woohoo! I'm really excited and I lost 20 pounds in my first weight in! The bad news for you all is that I have 11 more weeks to go. On top of school AND work. So when I actually find free time I'll be updating and writing but I have to make those 3 things priority right now. I assure that I don't leave this story high and dry even if it takes me 6 months to finish it. I promise to not desert you. If you haven't already, you should read The Possibility or Flashes of Dramione while waiting for updates. Or may start your own fanfic? ;) It's fun, I promise! Anyway, thanks for the continued support and love! XD


	26. Explosion of Emotions

"You are so fucking pathetic Weasel. After this week, there's not going to be a future between you and Hermione" said Draco with a sharp glare at the man sitting across from him.

"You know what I think ferret? You're just intimidated because, despite everything I've done, I could have Hermione back if I wanted. We both know it"

Draco laughed, "You're deluded"

"Am I Malfoy? I don't think you realize that there is _nothing_ I could do to make me a worse choice than you."

Draco was actually starting to become amused at his blatant foolishness. "How do you figure?"

"You're a death eater Malfoy."

"Was-"

"Once a death eater, always a death eater. You're a murder. Do you even know how many people you've killed?"

"Don't presume to know anything about me Weasley"

"I know plenty about you Malfoy and about your family. And I'm not going to let you hurt Hermione."

"Don't worry. You did an astounding job. Not sure I could do much better if I tried."

"As far as I'm concerned, as long as you're in this house, she's not safe."

"Your friend potty seems to be content with me staying here. Why so paranoid?"

"Harry doesn't trust you any farther then he can throw you. I trust you even less. Hermione may believe that you're over your blood prejudice, but I know better Malfoy."

"Weasley, if you're trying to make yourself look better to Hermione by comparing yourself to me then you're only going to do yourself a major disservice."

"Why are you here?" Ron interjected, ignoring his statement. "What are your intentions with Hermione anyway? You hated her through school. You were going to let her die in your home during the war. If you'd had your way, you would have let her die in the room of requirement during the final battle. In fact as I remember it, you owe me for saving your sorry ass."

Draco glared at him. He didn't want to think of that day. He hated to reminisce about the war. He'd never be proud of his actions in the war but he'd accepted who'd he been and changed for the better. He was not about to explain his revelations and journey of self-change to the undeserving and desperate wizard in front of him.

"Hermione and I are friends" he simply stated.

"Don't lie to me. I see the way you look at her. Like a wolf about to devour it's pray. Your gaze on her makes me sick. I know that you're just waiting for the opportune moment to lure her back into your greasy little clutches and have your way with her-"

"Weasley, I'll be whatever Hermione needs me to be. Because, unlike you, I actually care about her. Your intentions here are completely self-absorbed and selfish. All you care about is yourself, all you have ever cared about was yourself." Draco was starting to get aggressive as he leaned forward, "And if you think, for even a moment, that I'm going to stand by and let you hurt her; you've got another thing coming. I'm going to protect her from you, not matter what it takes. You think I don't realize how vulnerable she is right now? How sad and upset she's been these last few weeks? I know better than anyone. The last thing I would do is take advantage of her and I'm damn sure not going to let you try it."

Draco's fingers were just itching for his wand. His knuckles twitched as he resisted the urge to blast Weasley through the wall.

"Malfoy you can say whatever you want to try to sound like a decent human being but I'll always see you for what you are. Evil and demented scum." Ron stood up and walked over to where Draco was sitting and towered over him. "You remember this, Hermione is still my wife. Nothing final has been signed yet. The last thing I'm going to do is leave her vulnerable to be taken advantage by the likes of you. I'm not going to just sit back and tolerate your attempts to steal away everything I've left for her. You would never let yourself care about a muggle born witch so it must be about the money. You just can't bare the fact that the Weasley's have a bit of wealth, can you? Always thought we'd be poor and beneath you? Well I have news for you ferret, even with all my faults I'll always be the better man next to you."

Draco glared directly through him, refusing to be intimidated. When Draco spoke, his voice was venomous. "Weasley, if you know what's good for you, you're going to sign those divorce papers when they come on Friday. Then you're going to get out of Hermione's life for good."

"I'll get out of her life when you do."

"I'm never going to abandon her"

"Then it looks like I'm going to be married longer than just the end of the week." Said Ron with a provoking smirk.

Draco couldn't help it. It was like a reflex, he anchored his arm back and let his fist fly forward, knocking Ron down onto the kitchen floor. Ron cried out in pain and clutched onto his nose, which was bleeding profusely. Draco had blood lingering on his knuckle.

"Draco!" Hermione had walked back into the kitchen to see Draco's fist fly into Ron's face.

"He fucking attacked me!" said Ron through the blood and the pressure he was applying to his nose.

"You're lucky I don't kill you" growled Draco.

"Right, because murder would be so far out of character for you eh ferret?" Ron pushed himself back up onto his feet. Hermione walked over.

"Let me see it" she removed Ron's hand to look at the injury. His nose was already starting to swell and bruise. "You'll be okay" she took out her wand and healed him within seconds.

Ron rubbed his nose and glared and Draco. "I think you need to leave"

"I'm not going anywhere" Draco stood up to be eye level with his adversary.

"Hermione, if you want to have an easy divorce and a stress free settlement then you'll make him leave right now" threatened Ron.

"We already went through our settlement-"

"Until we sign the final papers, everything can be changed."

"Ron, you said you wouldn't change anything-"

"I wasn't intending to" Ron snapped. "But you're not thinking clearly Hermione. Having this man around you, staying in our home, is dangerous! I'm trying to keep you safe-"

"I don't need you to protect me Ronald Weasley .I'm perfectly capable of defending myself and judging the character of those I surround myself with."

Ron shook his head. "Like I said before, our divorce is going to go a lot smoother as soon as he's out of the picture. I want him out of my house and I want him out of your life"

"You can't make that call for me Ron. I'm not going to tell Draco to go anywhere"

Draco smirked and stood behind Hermione to back her up, setting his hands supportively on her shoulders.

"Ron, just minutes ago, I was actually thinking that maybe we could come out of this as friends. Maybe, despite everything you've done. But if you continue to make threats then you're going to burn every last inch of the bridge that's barely dangling between us as it is."

"I'm only trying to keep you safe Hermione. If you hate me for it, so be it. But after everything you've been through- that I put you through; I can't just sit around and watch as Malfoy takes advantage of you. I'm not going to let you get hurt by him-"

"Draco is the last person I need to worry about hurting me Ron. The only person threating me in this room is _you_."

"For your own good!"

"Fuck you Ron. You're just trying to manipulate my life because you don't want to think of me being happy with someone else."

"I'm not worried about you moving on and being happy Hermione. I want that for you. Truly, I do. But ferret-face isn't going to make you happy. He's going to lure you in and rape you for all you're worth before tossing you aside. He's a death eater, how can you just forget that?"

"I haven't forgotten anything. I've forgiven Draco for everything that's happened in the past. Everything. I don't care that he was once a death eater"

"You don't just quit being a death eater. Why can't you see that Hermione? It takes a certain kind of man to do the things he did."

"And it takes a certain kind of man to do the things you did Ron Weasley."

"I'm not defending myself-"

"Well you should be. Because between Draco and you, you're definitely looking the worse off. If I want to have Draco in my home, he's going to stay here. If I want to be friend with him, I'm going to do that. If I want to kiss him, I'll kiss him. If I decide I want to develop a sexual relationship with the git then I'm going to do that!"

Draco was about to protest being called a git but decided to let it alone. Hermione was on fire and he was exceedingly proud of her in that moment.

"And you Ron Weasley-"she continued, "Are not going to interfere with any of that. You're going to sign those divorce papers on Friday and leave the settlement as it is or so help me Merlin, I'm going to do things to you so terrible that you're going to wish you were at the mercy of a death eater opposed to my wrath. Do you understand me?" Hermione was flared up enraged.

"Hermione," Ron had calmed his voice and was speaking to her with an utmost serious demeanor. "If you continue to expand upon this _friendship_ you have this Malfoy, he is going to hurt you far worse than I ever did. I can promise you that. I know that you don't want to listen to me right now; because you're still hurt and angry, but you know deep down that it's the truth. I know how easy it is to be self-destructive when you're in pain but it's not going to help anything. I'm trying to be your friend right now. I'm trying to help you. But there is nothing I can do for you if you insist on being proud and stubborn. If this is truly what you want, him over me, then fine.-"

"I'm not picking him over you-"Hermione started to argue but Ron held his hand up to stop her.

"Yes you are Hermione. That's your decision to make I guess. I'll leave, I'll find somewhere to stay so don't worry about me-"

"No one was going to" Draco murmured under his breath as he pulled Hermione back into his arms. She leaned against his chest, his hands still gripped tenderly around her shoulders as she faced Ron.

"Will you sign the papers Friday?" asked Hermione. She couldn't help but let the hint of desperation in her voice sign through.

"If that's really what you want 'Mione. But after that, there's no turning back with us. All those years will be behind us. I can't stay here and watch you ruin your life with Malfoy. He's going to break your heart and desert you. And when that day comes, I'm not going to be there for you."

Draco rolled his eyes but bit his tongue. Let the Weasel be dramatic for a minute as long as he spewed his lies and then walked out the door when he was done.

"He's not even defending himself because he knows it's true. He can't deny the truth of his character" Ron pointed out.

Draco just smiled sweetly at Ron and held Hermione tighter. He wasn't speaking because the only words he wanted to come out of his mouth were _Avada Kadavra_.

Hermione felt the warmth of his fingertips flow through her and knew that he was being quiet out of self-control and not because he agreed with anything Ron was saying. She could tell from his presence behind her that he would protect her through the flames of hades. She knew that no matter what Ron said or did, he was going to be by her side. Draco was strong and, despite the trouble it sometimes got him in, he was honest. The man in front of her was a cowardly; he was weak, foolish and dishonest. Hermione knew in her heart that everything Ron was predicting would never become truth. The man she had trusted to be her knight had betrayed her and the man behind her, whom she had labeled as an enemy for so many years was really the person would fiercely advocate for her regardless of circumstance. Not matter what.

Ron had continued to speak but Hermione had completely missed what he'd said in her moment of revelation.

"-So what's it going to be Hermione? I'm willing to fix this marriage with you. I'll do whatever it takes. We can start over, do things right. If you truly want kids? It's done. I'll be home more, I won't work as often. I'll help around more and I'll-"

"Stop" Hermione interrupted him. "Ron, you're embarrassing yourself."

Ron opened his mouth then shut it again.

"Ron, you should leave. There is never going to be a change for a repaired marriage between us. Ever. Maybe one day, I'll be able to forgive you for what you did to me. But today is not that day and I don't see it lingering on the horizon. I don't know what the future has in store for Draco and I but it doesn't involve you, so I want you to leave so that I can explore this next phase of my life without the pain of us weighing down on me. I don't care about what happens to you and Lavender, I don't care about what happens with your kids so don't contact me. I won't be there. I need you to sign those papers on Friday and leave the settlement as it is or I promise to make your life hell Ron and I really don't want to do that. But believe me, I will. I don't want to hear any more promises or apologies from you. I don't care. I just want to move on and I can't keep you in my heart or my mind to do that."

"Hermione-" Ron spoke her name softly.

"Let this just be goodbye Ron, okay?" Hermione's throat was tightening. She roughly forced herself to swallow. She was not going to cry in front of him, she refused.

Ron hung his head and shook it in quiet disbelief. Draco remained silent and let the scene play out between them, without interference.

Ron looked up to Hermione with tear glossed eyes, but no tears fell. His voice was shaky when he proceeded to speak again. "You're going to regret this one day Hermione. But if this is the life you want, then go ahead and have it. I won't stop you. I'm sorry things had to end this way." He turned around and headed for the door. He grabbed the handle and turned it but didn't pull back .He just stood there for a moment in the still silence for what felt like minutes.

Hermione wrapped Draco's arms around her. She needed to be held in the moment and his embrace gave her strength and sanity. Draco gladly complied.

Ron didn't look up or look back, "Goodbye Hermione". He quickly opened the door, walked out and let it fall shut behind him.

Hermione let out an exasperated breath and let herself collapse into Draco's arms as the tears began to fall.

Draco turned her around and pulled her against his chest as he held her and tenderly stroked her hair. "Well done Hermione, well done"

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A:N/ Yes, I realize that took forever but I'm super busy. I basically cut hours out of my sleep to do this update. I'm going to get barely 4 hours if I'm lucky, but it was worth it. Woohoo for being tired all day tomorrow! Lol Anyway, I'm currently at 25 pounds weight loss and I have 8 more weeks left in the Biggest Loser program. Part of me can't wait for it to be done so I can work on this story a bit more, as well as Prohibited Behavior. But alas, I can only do one thing at a time. So, I hope you enjoyed the update. Please remember to review and let me know what you thought, it keeps me motivated! ;) Thanks for the love and support! x


	27. Vulnerable

Hermione was trembling in his arms as the impact of the moment overtook her. Nearly two decades of her life had just exited through her front door and the significance of each year was smashing through her like a boulder to ice. The reality of having to start her love life over was starting to settle in as a reality and it terrified and excited her at the same time.

"I'm sorry I keep tossing you into the middle of my affairs. You came over for a book and I threw you into the middle of my failing marriage" Hermione muffled as she mumbled into his chest.

Draco chuckled, his laughter bouncing against the center of his core as Hermione lay her head against his chest. "I don't mind"

Draco gripped her chin in his hand and lifted her face to look at him. "And to be frank, Hermione" Draco shook his head, "-I don't give a damn about that book. And I can't express in words how proud I am of you right now, so I'm not even going to try-"

Before Hermione could completely register what was happening, Draco dipped his head down and lightly attached his lips against her own. He waited a moment, his lips lightly brushing against hers as he waited for her protest. When she didn't move or push him away he leaned forward and fully crushed his lips against hers, sealing their kiss.

Hermione let her mouth slightly gape open and Draco took full advantage of the position, sliding his tongue between the entrance of her lush lips to explore the caverns of her mouth. Their tongues coursed back and forth, caressing each other in the frenzied passion of the moment. The sensation curled her toes and pressed her closer against him. Her head felt light and dizzy when they finally pulled apart for air.

They held each other's gaze; processing what had just happened and broke out in a simultaneous smile. Only a moment slipped by before their lips were once again, reattached and their hands ran along the sides of each other's bodies, desperately pulling one another closer.

Draco felt like he was floating on a cloud before Hermione brought him back down to reality by pushing herself away.

"I'm sorry. That was-that was inappropriate wasn't it?"

"How was that inappropriate? That kiss was incredible." Draco still had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, refusing to let her pull away.

"I'm doing it again." mumbled Hermione, pressing her fingers against her temple as if she were getting a headache.

"Doing what?" asked Draco.

"Using you as a rebound-"

"You're not using me as a rebound" Draco protested. His eyes refused to divert from her lips. His entire body was craving more kisses from her.

"Yes, I am. Every time I feel lonely, vulnerable or sad I just let myself…do things without thinking"

"Then stop thinking" Draco whispered huskily into her ear before attempting to entice another kiss. He failed; Hermione turned her head away this time and un-wrapped Draco's arms from around her body.

"Hermione, you deserve to be happy. Stop overthinking this and just let yourself go for once" Draco tried to coax her again but Hermione stepped away this time. Her hands were still tangled in her hair as she stressed out.

"No, This-whatever this is…it's too soon." She pointed to the two of them.

"Hermione, I'm not asking for anything-". Draco wasn't quite sure what was going on between the two of them either. He knew he wanted her, that much was clear. But beyond the lust and developing friendship, what else was there? Not love, certainly not love. What exactly was he pursuing then?

"I know, but Ron just- and I- and we…Ugghhh" she groaned and sat down at the table. Draco pulled out a chair next to her and sat down. He reached over and started to massage the back of her next soothingly.

"You need to relax Hermione. I understand that you're stressed out. But, I don't think that Ron is going to pull back on the settlement. He's just desperate and full of hot air. He was making empty threats."

"I know that. I'm not going to let what he said get to me. I'm trying to get over all this, I really am. He just brought so much back when he showed up at my door. I never want to see him again."

"Good, you never have to."

Hermione leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms and sighed. "Draco, what _is _going on between us?"

Draco was lost on words for a moment.

He shrugged, "What do _you_ think is going on between us?"

"No. You can't do that. You can't throw back at me what I asked you first" Hermione couldn't help but smile at his reaction.

Draco took a moment to try to collect his scattered thoughts. "Hermione, you are a beautiful, gorgeous woman and I think you know that"

Hermione blushed slightly and shook her head in protest, "I'm not-"

"Yes, you are" Draco reached out and took her hand. "And it's not a secret that I'm incredibly attracted to you. But…it's more than that. I haven't wanted to spend this much time with someone…in a long, long time. The friendship that we're creating here is different than any other friendship I've experienced before. I'm not entirely sure what we're establishing here, but I don't want to stop Hermione, I don't." He was affectingly stroking the side of her hand with his thumb as he spoke.

"I just want to know that whatever is going on here is real. I'm in a really vulnerable time in my life right now and I don't want to do anything I'm going to regret. I don't want to make any mistakes." Worry and fear were etched in her shaking voice. She felt so nervous.

"I'm not going to let you make a mistake" assured Draco squeezing her hand tightly.

"Aren't you?" expressed Hermione with doubt and insecurity.

"Hermione, look at me"

She turned her face to look at him. Both her eyes were glossed with the temptation of tears. Her body was starting to release the stress she'd had pent up inside.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me, in any way that you want to or need to. I realize that, in the past, I've been a selfish and self-centered git. But it's the truth. I'm here for you as long as you need me. If it takes you a year to go over Weasel or a month, if you never get over him; I'll be here by your side helping you through this."

"But why?" Hermione could help the gentle flow of tears that were gliding down her cheek and Draco couldn't resist the need to reach forward and gently wiping it away.

"Because I care about you Hermione and I hate to see you unhappy."

"I care about you too Draco"

"Good. And I want you to know that if it ever makes you feel better, feel free to kiss me at _any _time, at _any_ place. I'm here for you" Draco said with as much seriousness as he could muster. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"There it is." He cradled the side of her face lovingly in his hand. "Your smile has to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"You're a really…amazing kisser" Hermione confessed with a flush in her cheeks. It was Draco's turn to bust up in a smile.

"Yeah, thanks. I try not to get rusty though" he winked at her playfully before gently learning closer to her. He moved in cautiously; careful to not overwhelm her. Her tear glossed eyes were sparkling and he felt a dull ache in his chest. He would give anything to ensure that no one would make her cry again, ever.

"I hate seeing you cry" he said out loud before softly kissing her. His touch was sensitive and fully of her demeanor. His kiss held force but was gentle at the same time. The fragility of his touch was reverent enough to shake Hermione to her core. Slowly, she allowed herself to shut her eyes and enjoy the sensation of Draco's kiss.

"Don't be afraid of this" Draco gently pleaded between kisses. "I'm not sure what we're doing Hermione, but I know that it feels right"

Hermione simply nodded, her eyes still clasped shut as she eagerly leaned forward towards him and stole another kiss from his lips. Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders as she pulled herself closer to him, eventually ending up on his lap with her hands tangled in his golden locks.

It was only early afternoon but Hermione felt completely exhausted and emotionally drained from the morning she'd had. She didn't want to fight anymore. All she craved was the inability to go with the flow and let go of all control. She let Draco slip his tongue into her mouth and heard a moan escape her lips and immediately felt Draco's smirk against her lips. His tongue stroked slowly in her mouth, causing her toes to tingle and curl. The strength of his hands caressing her only encouraged the kiss to fall deeper and this time the moan she heard was emitting from Draco.

"I think we should go upstairs" whispered Draco.

Hermione shut her eyes and pressed a kiss to the top of his forehead. She looked deep into his silver pools and found that were full of affection and assurance. She trusted him entirely in that moment so she nodded her head yes and whispered, "Okay, I trust you Draco."

Draco hooked his arm under her knees, stood up and carried her up the stairs; kissing her after every few steps he took until they made their way up to Hermione's bedroom.

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A:N/ So, I'm running late for class now but I just had to finish this chapter. So, I originally had one plan for this story and I decided today that I'm not going to go along with it anymore. But that's a good things because instead of ending it in the next couple chapters, I think I'm going to make the story much longer. What do you think? Remember to review and let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading! XD


	28. Revelation

Hermione lost all sense of time as her body hit the soft mattress beneath her. There was no recollection within her as to how she had gotten from the dining room to her bedroom. She had been lost in Draco's kiss for the duration of her transportation.

She felt a small anxiety grip her core as she lost the feel of Draco's body pressed up against her own. He'd set her down on the bed then stood there in the moment, just gazing at her.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him.

"I'm just taking in how stunning you look." Draco replied.

Hermione's face was lightly stained from tears, her hair was spread out behind her in a mild frizz, and she was still wearing her pajamas. In her mind, she was the farthest from beautiful and even farther from provocative.

Even so, Draco's gaze on her filled her room with a thick tension that could only be dulled by an invigorating display of passion.

Suddenly Hermione couldn't remember any of the reasons why she'd never allowed herself to succumb to this man in the past. He was incredibly beautiful. Her fingers seemed to twitch in agony as she sat up and pulled him down onto the bed with her. Evert fiber of her being was yearning to touch him.

Draco surrendered and fell down onto the sheets beside her. In mere seconds Hermione had sat up, gripped the bottom of his shirt and removed it from over his head. His body was beautifully defined. Draco watched the center of her chocolate brown eyes as she inspected him. He could feel his heart beating faster and wondered if she could feel it too as her hand ran across his torso. Just feeling her fingers caress his bare skin ignited a fire deep within him.

"Draco" she softly spoke as her hand ran farther down his chest, inching closer and closer to his waistline.

Draco took hold of her wrist and stopped her motion before pressing his hand firmly against her shoulder to lie her back down onto the bed. Hermione removed her hand from his chest and wrapped it around his body, resting it on his back as he crawled over her.

A quick moan escaped her lips as his lips quickly found the weak spot on the nape of her neck and began to suckle it. The tone of her pleasure reverberated down Draco's spine like a warm shiver. His strong hands were caressing Hermione's body passionately as he overwhelmed her senses. It felt good to surrender as she let her neck fall farther back and gave Draco permission to control her.

The feel of her soft lips latched against his encouraged him and built his confidence. Draco held her lip between his teeth in the midst of their kiss for a brief moment before lashing out and caressing his tongue against the length of hers.

Her entire body squirmed in reaction beneath him. Draco felt her hips rise up and rub against his leg. It turned him on even more.

His hands aggressively gripped her thighs and ran up and down the length of her legs. Draco reached his hand gently behind her head and gripped a fistful of her curls before firmly pulling at her hair. He could have sworn her heard a seductive growl escape in the midst of her moan.

When Hermione's eyes refocused on him they were filled with lust. "I can't take this anymore Draco. I need you now" She impatiently started to pull down his pants.

Draco pulled her hands away from his clothes and pinned her hands up above her head.

"Say please" he commanded.

"Please Draco, I need to feel you inside of me or I'm going to go crazy" she begged.

Draco smirked and began to chuckle as he released his grip on her wrists.

"What's funny?" she looked mildly offended.

"I told you that you'd beg me for it eventually." He reminded her with a wink as he laughed.

"Oh shut up" she moved to smack him but he caught her hand before it made contact. He raised it up to his lips and kissed each one of her fingertips gently. She immediately settled down at the tender feel of his lips pressed against her hand.

Draco's hands quickly wandered, feeling every inch of her body as he removed each article of her clothing. Her clothes quickly found themselves piled on the floor next to the bed and she soon lay bare before him.

His eyes devoured her as he worshipped the sight, first with his eyes and then with his lips. He kissed a trail, starting from the base of her neck then trailing down to her inner thighs.

Her hips squirmed in anticipation as he avoided the one area she was begging him to worship.

"Close your eyes" whispered Draco into her thigh as he kissed it again.

Hermione hesitantly let them fall shut. Draco could tell she was growing impatient with him but he loved playing with her and taking his time getting to where he wanted to be.

Her body grew tense with each kiss he placed. He slowly dragged his tongue up the inside curve of her body. It didn't take much effort to persuade the series of moans that fell uncontrollably out of Hermione as Draco's tongue slid between her wet folds.

"Ohhh my god Draco" Her fingers clasped into his hair as he stoked her.

One quick rapid succession of tongue strokes was all it took to achieve Hermione's first orgasm of that night. The grip she had on Draco's hair tightened as her body clenched and released in orgasm but it didn't slow him down or distract him from worshiping her core with his mouth.

Hermione's moans turned into howls of ecstasy as Draco slid two fingers easily inside of her and began to slide steadily in and out.

By this point Draco was fully engorged and aching to be deep inside of her. But he gathered his control and waited. He wanted her to feel how beautiful he found her before allowing himself the pleasure.

Draco pressed the pads of his fingers up against her walls firmly, activating her g-spot until Hermione cried out in her second orgasm.

Hermione could barely see straight as Draco gently removed his hand. Hermione had never experienced an orgasm that strong before in her life.

Hermione didn't give a damn that she could taste herself on his lips as he kissed her. Their lips stayed attached as their hands impatiently removed Draco's bottoms and threw them down onto the floor. They didn't waste any more time.

"Hermione" Draco breathed as he impelled himself within her.

From the look on her face, Draco thought for a moment that'd he'd hurt her. The thought was quickly dismissed as Hermione started to moan uncontrollably in reaction to Draco moving within her.

Their chests were pressed tightly against one another as Draco plunged deeply, again and again.

Hermione steadily rocked her hips against the motion of his thrust, encouraging him to thrust fully inside her with each motion.

Draco felt the sharp twinge of Hermione's nails grazing down his back. He watched her face contorting in immense pleasure and knew she was close.

He moved up onto his knees and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. His hands reached beneath her and firmly gripped her waist before he plunged rapidly into her in a steady and aggressive motion.

"Oh my god" Hermione gasped. Her head flew back, her hair a passionate mess, as her mouth gaped open in surrender. Her hand attempted to grab onto Draco's arm in a desperate reach for control as she lost her mind at the sensation.

"Cum for me Hermione, cum for me baby" Draco encouraged her. Just the sound of his voice was enough to send her over the edge. Draco couldn't hold off his own climax as he felt her cumming around him.

Their chests were both heaving as they caught their breath post orgasm. Hermione pressed her lush lips against his as soon as she could breathe again. Draco let them linger as he pulled out and lay beside her.

Draco took a few moments to regain his composure before pulling Hermione's body against his. She lay her head on his bare chest and he didn't bother to resist the urge to play with her hair as he ran his fingers tenderly down her spiraling locks.

Hermione had never felt this safe and comfortable in her life. The feel of Draco's body beneath her encompassed her in security and warmth. It wasn't long at all before she'd succumbed to the temptation of sleep. Her drooping eyes fell shut and Draco pulled her body in closer to his as he wrapped his arm securely around her.

Draco watched her sleeping in his embrace and wanted desperately to shake her awake but he couldn't find it himself to disturb the angelic scene before him.

He could feel in that moment that he would do anything to keep her safe, everything to keep her happy and soon it became clear to him what had been developing between them all this time.

Draco was in love.

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A:N/ Hope you liked that chapter! Don't worry, I'm still here. I didn't desert you! Biggest loser is done. My team won! Woohoo! I placed 5th overall (out of 25 people). I was the only woman to place in the top 10 so I won top woman in the competition! And I lost a total of 59 pounds in the competition. 71 pounds total since I've started my weight loss goal. I'm hoping to lose 100 total so I'll keep you updated. Thanks for sticking with the story and reviewing after updates. It really keeps me going! Hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think! Thanks!


	29. Falling Over The Edge

Draco lost track of time as he watched Hermione asleep in his arms. He studied every delicate detail of her face, tracing his finger along the form of her jawline.

A smile crept its way across his face as he noticed that Hermione's nose occasionally twitched when she was dreaming. He wondered what occupied her thoughts. Was she dreaming of him?

They spent hours lying in bed until eventually Hermione awoke to find Draco sleeping beneath her.

As if he could feel Hermione's eyes upon him, Draco's eyelids fluttered as he began to wake.

At first, neither of them spoke. They just looked at each other, basking in the moment between them.

Draco was the first to break the silence. His fingers gently caressed Hermione's lips before he spoke.

"Did you know that you snore?"

Hermione's mouth dropped open in disbelief. Did he really just ruin that beautiful moment with a response like that? She playfully slapped his arm. "Shut your mouth, I do not"

Draco smiled mischievously, a chuckle twinkling in his eye. "You do, but only a little. Don't worry; it's actually kind of cute"

"I don't snore. I was just really tired." She continued to protest.

"It's okay. I know, you had a long day" he playfully mocked her.

Hermione silenced his teasing as she swung her leg around him. Draco found it difficult to swallow as he felt her pressed against him once again.

She took hold of his cheeks as she kissed him. "You're a wonderful man Draco Malfoy. I don't know when it happened exactly but, I want you to know that I absolutely adore you."

Draco took hold of her hands and pulled them away from his face as he looked upon her.

She continued to speak, "And I want to thank you for everything you've done for me these past few weeks-"

"I believe you just did" he teased.

She blushed modestly, "Yes, well, I meant _appropriately_ thank you."

"I think it's me who should be thanking you"

"Why's that?"

"If it weren't for your drama filled life with the Weasel, I'd be bored out of my mind spending hours wasting away in my home, chasing random women, spending my money on frivolous things…"Draco trailed off as Hermione gave him a scolding look that could freeze water. "And instead, I find myself pleasantly stuck between the thighs of the most beautiful witch I've ever beheld in my life."

Hermione scooted herself forward on his lap to adjust, causing a mild friction between them. She caught Draco's reaction as he quickly bit his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Well then Mr. Malfoy, go ahead and thank me then" replied Hermione in a shallow tone.

Draco grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her forward causing her to sit up on his face. He pulled her forward with such force that she had to brace herself on the wall to keep from falling forward. Soon her hands grabbed onto the headboard, bracing for control as Draco wasted no time finding the nub of her clit and sucking it between his lips.

Draco ran his soft hand up to her breast as he ate her out. He turned at her nipples until they were erect between his fingers. Hermione gasped in response and allowed herself to cautiously grind against his tongue.

He ran his tongue up the length of her hot, slick folds before diving his tongue into her. Hermione gasped again and instinctively clutched onto his hair, pulling his face closer between her legs. Draco indulged in the taste of her.

Without warning, a firm hand took hold of Draco's erect member and began to stroke up and down. Hermione's body held an erect bend as she reached back to caress him.

He let out a hissing sound as he sucked air between his teeth, arching his hips up to further accommodate her touch.

Draco's moans vibrated through to her clit as he remained buried between her legs.

Quivering thighs indicated to Draco that she was close. He tried to block out the feel of her hand on him in order to concentrate on sending her over the edge, but her touch was too intoxicating.

Before his mind could register that she'd removed herself from his face, his head fell back into the pillow and a violent groan escaped him.

Hermione's full lips were wrapped around the base of his cock and he could feel her tongue moving along the sides of it. Without thinking he took hold of her wild hair and began to move her up and down his length. She fully accommodated him, barely separating herself for air.

"Hermione" he weakly moaned her name. The vulnerability in his tone turned her on and encouraged her at the same time. She sucked more aggressively, moving faster.

Draco couldn't contain himself as he lost control in her mouth, pulling her head down onto him as he overflowed her lips. Without thinking Hermione swallowed the mouthful and eagerly placed him back in her mouth, desperate to keep him hard.

Draco was beyond hard as she kept him in her mouth. When she was confident he wasn't going to go back down she popped him out and aligned herself eagerly above him.

"I can't get enough of you" she confessed in a moan as she lowered herself down onto him. Draco was wasted in passion beneath her, filling her to the hilt.

It was as if another woman had taken over Hermione. She radiated confidence and control as she rode him. There was no indication of sorrow, grief, or a woman who'd had her heart ripped out. There was only a beautiful vessel, emanating sexuality and awe-inspiring femininity. She was powerful, sexy, receptive and Draco was in awe of her state.

Draco sat up and pressed her closer against his chest as they remained connected, Hermione's hips rolling into his lap.

Hermione clung onto him, her body enfolded around him. Draco began to loser his composure and soon flipped her beneath him. He ran his hands across her inner thighs, encouraging her to spread her legs wider.

"Make love to me Draco" Hermione begged just before his lips came crashing down onto hers. He plunged through her, caressing her inner walls with his manhood.

Waves of ecstasy coursed through them. Draco increased his speed as he moved inside her. Hermione's eyes were closed and her mouth hung open, unable to control the release of pleasure spilling out in glottal moans.

"I'm so close" she gasped.

Draco had never experienced two orgasms so close to each other before but felt his own composure slipping with each thrust he made.

Hermione's orgasm echoed off the walls. Her hips bucked wildly against Draco as it ravished through her. Draco felt her nails tightly pressed into his shoulders and bit down onto her shoulder blade in response before falling through his own climax.

They fell away from each other, catching their breath as they sank back into the sheets.

Draco turned his head and looked directly at Hermione. She smiled as she gazed back into his silver-grey eyes.

It was a look held within the kind of silence that could be permitted to go on forever. Their chemistry held an electrifying buzz in the air that continuously bounced back and forth between their eyes.

"I think I'm in love with you Hermione" Draco finally spoke.

"Shh" Hermione silenced him, pressing her finger against his lips. He responded by kissing it and repeating himself.

"I love you"

She couldn't help but smile that time as a flutter took over inside her chest.

"Are you married Draco Malfoy?" she questioned him.

"Not anymore" Draco answered with a relaxed smile.

"Are you seeing anyone else?"

"You're the only woman I'm even capable of fixing my eyes upon"

Hermione's smile grew.

"Do you have any children?" Hermione interrogated him with mock suspicion.

"Let's hope to Merlin I don't." Draco jested.

"Would you ever lie to me?" Hermione asked with a sudden seriousness, holding his gaze with a stern desperation, filled with hope.

Draco took her hands within his own and pressed his forehead against her temple. He closed his eyes and placed a kiss onto her forehead. "I would never lie to you Hermione"

Hermione's heart was beating like crazy. Was she really going to do this? Allow herself to fall for Draco Malfoy? Was she ready for this after everything she and Ron had been through?

"This is too soon" she spoke up in fear.

"No," Draco disagreed, "This is far too late." He kissed her fully. She succumbed to him in an instant. Draco spoke against her lips and he continued to kiss her. "We should have done this years ago" his hand wrapped around the back of Hermione's head and pulled her closer in.

If Hermione had been standing, her knees would have gone weak with that kiss. She felt as if she were floating high above the bed.

Draco repeated himself, "I love you Hermione Granger whether you feel the same way or not."

Hermione's eyes were filled with adoration and terror as she looked upon him, unsure of whether or not to trust the words lingering on the edge of her lips.

"I-I don't know how I feel r-right now" Hermione stuttered.

"You know exactly how you feel Hermione" stated Draco as she pressed his hand against her heart. "You just have to have the courage to admit it."

"I should wait. We shouldn't rush into this. The way I feel is-"

"You should rush" Draco interjected, "You should run into my arms and never leave. Don't let yourself wait another minute because of what happened between the two of you. He doesn't deserve the gesture. What you and Weasley had is over with. Let it be buried in the past. I can offer you a new life, a new future. I just want to make you happy Hermione and give you everything you've ever wanted. A loving home, a fulfilling relationship, kids…I want to be everything you'll ever need."

Hermione was unable to answer as she sat next to him awestruck at his proclamation. She was trembling on the inside.

"I know that you feel torn between the life you had and the life I can offer you Hermione. But you need to fully realize that you don't need to live that life anymore. You can be happy now, truly happy and I can help you achieve that."

Hermione's voice was shaky when she spoke, "What do you want from me Draco?"

"I just want to hear you say it. Tell me how you feel. That's all. Everything else will fall into place as it should be. Please, don't be afraid to admit it anymore."

Yes, Hermione knew that she loved Draco more than she ever could comprehend. He had been able to fix and heal every piece of her soul that had shattered when Ron left. After that day she couldn't comprehend being away from his side ever again. But admitting that she had gotten it wrong, that Draco could be the love of her life and she had been wrong about Ron all along, meant truly letting go of her former life once and for all. Saying it out loud would make the love real. They would have to act on it and it scared her to think of what that could mean.

"I-I'm not ready to get married again."

"I'm not asking you yet" Draco chuckled.

"Yet?" Hermione emphasized with worry. "Draco, I-I can't sell this house and move in with you-"

"I didn't ask you to"

"I know that I said I wanted kids but right now I-" Hermione continued to freak out.

"Hermione, baby, you're going to work yourself into a panic attack" Draco stopped her with concerned amusement. "I'm not asking you to commit to anything."

"But you are. Draco those words mean so much more to me than I think you realize. If I tell you how I feel, how I truly feel then I want to know that you understand the depth of it. I don't want to mess up again."

"You didn't mess up anything."

"Not yet"

"Stop thinking" Draco kissed her again. "Stop worrying and just let yourself relax. Tell me what feels right."

"This. You and I together; like this."

"Tell me what you want."

"I want you to stay and I don't want you to leave ever again."

"And I won't. Now tell me if you love me, I _need_ to know."

Hermione's eyes searched Draco's with desperation. She felt herself lingering on the edge of a cliff, with Draco waiting at the bottom promising to catch her if she fell. Hermione shut her eyes and finally let herself tumble down; trusting him completely with all of her heart.

"Yes Draco. I love you." Hermione spoke aloud.

Hermione had never seen Draco smile like that before. He looked like he was glowing as a relieved sense overcame his features. Draco swept Hermione up in his arms and pulled her on top of him as they rolled around in the covers, entrapped in each other's embrace.

It was late into the night when they finally stopped kissing each other and fell asleep in one another's arms.

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A:N/ So, I was going to wait a few days before posting this but since it _is_ Christmas tomorrow, I thought an update would be a nice gift. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! To be honest, I kind of feel like ending the story here or on the next chapter. Or maybe putting the rest of my outline into a sequel. Hmmm. That's just how I feel in the moment. I'll probably just keep writing and posting on this one though. But for those of you who are tiring of this story (I hope that's no one!) this would be a good place to drop off. For those of you who are along for the long haul; stay tuned for more to come! I hope you all have a very merry Christmas! And please, remember to review! That would be the BEST Christmas gift you could give me! Thanks! XD


	30. Stay In Bed

Hermione elongated her body as she stretched. The sun was breaking in through the window and blinding her in one eye. She squinted and rolled her body away from the glaring light. Conveniently this motion pushed her closer into the arms of them man lying beside her. She placed a series of sly kisses across his chest to gently awaken him.

A light yawn escaped his lips as he stirred awake, peering one eye open to look at the culprit who was kissing him so tenderly. A satisfied smirk overtook his features as he cradled an arm across her waist.

"Morning," Draco muttered into her shoulder before pressing a small kiss against her soft skin.

"Morning," Hermione replied with a smile. "Did you sleep well?" She couldn't resist the urge to reach out and run her fingers through his bed-messed hair.

"Best sleep I've ever gotten in my life," Draco boasted.

"Good." Hermione stretched before placing a full kiss on his lips. Draco reciprocated with passion, wrapping his hand along the base of her neck.

"Mmm," Draco pleasantly moaned and attempted to pull her closer but Hermione gently wedged her hand between them.

"So, tell me Mr. Malfoy," began Hermione. Draco held a bemused expression from being referred to as Mr. Malfoy. Hermione had a teasing sense to her tone as she said it. "…after last night, are we "official" or something?"

"After last night, you're my woman without a doubt" Draco growled as he rolled her beneath him and pressed her body into the mattress. Hermione's jesting grin quickly transformed into a moan as his hand slid down her body and his mouth attacked the vulnerable spot on her neck.

"Draco, stop, we can't keep doing this. We have to get out of bed sometime," Hermione protested when her mind stopped spinning.

Draco's hand was caressing her bottom as he nibbled on her ear lobe. "You belong to me now. I can do with you as I please and today I want to never leave this bed. I'll make love to you all week if I chose to."

"Is that right?"

"That's right. You can't tell me you don't love the sound of that. "Draco was attempting to spread her legs without much success.

"As much as I love the sound of that, it's just not what's going to happen today. Sorry"

"Is that what you think?" asked Draco.

"What I think? That's what I know. Draco, come now, get off so we can get out of bed already."

"I already told you Hermione. You're mine now and I'll do with you as I please. You can fight as much as you'd like but we're not getting out of this bed today." Draco stated with a firm yet compassionate tone. He saw a quick flint of defiance flit across Hermione's eyes at being told what to do so decisively.

"Draco-" Hermione was about to scold him and argue all the reasons why they had to get out of bed but she never got to the next word as he slid under the covers, successfully prying her legs open as he did so.

Her eyes rolled back in ecstasy as his tongue slid between her lips and found her clit with quick precision. He was quick to unhinge her as he began to learn what motions made her quiver, what strokes provoked each kind of moan and started to experiment with the speeds of his tongue.

She was bordering on the edge of orgasm when he pulled away and placed light kisses on her navel.

"Tell me you're mine," requested Draco between his kisses.

"I'm yours," Hermione's response was hot and breathy as she ached for him to resume what he'd been doing.

"Tell me that you belong to me," Draco lovingly demanded.

"I belong to you." Hermione sounded sincere but mostly impatient as she started to push at his shoulders, begging him to move lower. Draco chuckled at her impatient aggression.

Draco held a long kiss pressed at the top of her waist line. He slowly moved his way back down in a trail of slow kisses as his eyes looked up and forward to watch her response to his teasing. Hermione was biting her bottom lip and rolling her hips in a begging motion; aching for the feel of his tongue.

He stopped just above her mound and softly spoke, "Now tell me that you love me."

Hermione's fingertips ran across his scalp and Draco felt warm shivers run down his back.

"I love you" she responded, staring directly into his eyes. Draco pulled his body up in order to kiss her on her lips.

Without her realizing it, Draco had released himself from his fabric prison in order to penetrate her as he moved over her. Her moan buzzed deep against his lips as he pushed further inside.

"I love you Draco" Hermione incoherently repeated as her neck arched back and he filled her repeatedly.

Hermione was practically seeing stars by the time they both found their release in an explosion of released tension and insurmountable passion.

Draco rolled over to lie beside Hermione on the bed, his chest gently rising and falling as he caught his breath. Hermione pulled her body closer against his and rested her head on his breast. Her curls splayed out across his chest. Draco ran his fingers down them as he kissed the top of her head again and again.

"I'm never going to let you go," Draco muttered into the top of her head as he kissed her.

"You'd better not," said Hermione with a satisfied smile on her face. She couldn't get close enough to the man beside her as she pulled her body closer into his side. Draco didn't mind in the slightest. If he had been able to, he would have merged them together until they were one. She felt perfect laid out in his arms, as if they had been made to fit together.

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They took their time getting out of bed. By the time they rose it was well into the afternoon hours of the day.

"I'm starved," groaned Draco as he opened the refrigerator door and peered for something to eat. Hermione came up behind him and slipped her hands around his middle.

"You should be, you've been working very hard these last two days." She couldn't see his face but she could tell his was smiling as she pressed her kisses across his back.

Draco turned around and shut the refrigerator door in order to kiss her properly. Hermione's toes lifted off of the ground as she rose to meet his kiss.

The growling coming from his stomach interrupted his urge to carry her back up the stairs and have his way with her once more.

Hermione pushed Draco aside, reopened the fridge and set to the task of preparing a meal for the two of them. Draco was useless in the kitchen anyway. Without objection, Draco sat down at the kitchen table and watched Hermione cook.

"You're so beautiful," he observed as she moved across the kitchen.

Hermione's cheeks flushed. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this way. It was like she was flying inches above the floor. Every inch of her body was tingling from the way Draco could make her feel. She felt…loved. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this way, all she knew was that it was a wonderful way to feel. From that day forth, she didn't want to feel any other way.

They ate quickly and in silence. Their bodies both needed replenishment after the exertion from that morning and the night before.

"You don't have any regrets do you?" asked Draco when they had finished.

"About what?"

"Things ending between you and the freckled-freak."

Hermione decided to ignore the nickname. She pondered the question for a moment. "I-I guess…yes, I have a couple of regrets." She quickly explained herself as she saw Draco's body go tense. "Not about him leaving or us being over with. I don't regret that in the slightest. I guess…," she thought things over for another moment, "I guess that sometimes I feel and wonder if I had tried harder or been a better wife in the beginning…maybe I could have changed things? If I had been more understanding, or less bossy, less intelligent then he would have been content-"

"You know that's a load of rubbish, don't you?" Draco interrupted her.

"Well yes, of course. Logically, I know that Ron is a complete git and is almost completely to blame for our upcoming divorce. But emotionally, in my heart, it still hurts and I feel a twinge of guilt and responsibility. I don't want to make the same mistakes. I don't want to drive another man away."

"You're not going to drive me away," Draco consoled her as he took hold of hand. Hermione gave him a small smile, but her face held an air of sadness.

"I sometimes wonder if I could have been better in my marriages to Astoria and Pansy." Draco admitted. "Maybe if I had been nicer, less sarcastic, more understanding, more helpful then I would still be married to one of them."

Hermione was looking up at him, paying full attention. Draco seemed to be speaking more directly to the table than to her. His hand remained fixed on hers, however, as he absentmindedly stroked her palm with this thumb.

"But, in the end it doesn't really matter what any of us could have done differently. When I look at my life now, where I currently stand, I realize it was all for the best. Sometimes we struggle to hold onto the things that are really keeping us from where we need to be, from where we really belong."

"Do you feel like we belong together, Malfoy?" asked Hermione.

Draco looked up at her and made direct eye contact but didn't answer her question. "You can't dwell on what happened between you and Ron anymore. You have to let it all go. I'll understand if you get sad sometimes, angry or frustrated. But you have to make an honest effort to let it all go. All those years, all those memories, you don't need to hold onto them. We can make new memories, better memories and soon the last ten years will feel like a quick minute in the span of your life and none of it will matter. I know that Astoria and Pansy don't matter to me anymore."

"What does matter to you Draco?"

Draco couldn't help but smirk slightly, "I think you know what matters to me, 'Mione."

Hermione couldn't help but flush. This time it was because she felt embarrassed. "Do you have to do that?"

"What?" asked Draco, oblivious to his offense.

"Call me…call me 'Mione." Hermione stated.

"Oh, right. That was _his_ name for you wasn't it?" He remembered.

She nodded.

"I bet it sounds a lot better coming out of my mouth than it did his, doesn't it?" He asked, smirking as he leaned towards her.

"Maybe in time it will, but not now. It's still too soon."

Draco decided not to argue with her. "Can I ask you a question, Hermione?"

"MmHmm," Hermione had flipped Draco's hand over and was tracing her finger across the lines on his palm.

"Do you really think that…that you love me? Or did you just say that because it felt good in the moment?"

Hermione could feel Draco's piercing eyes on her before she lifted her eyes to meet them. "Draco, you've been my foundation throughout the shakiest time of my life-"

"I know, and I'll understand if you just said it because of what you're going through, because it felt right in a moment of vulnerability. I won't be mad if you take it back. If it's too soon-"

"I don't think that it's too soon for me to feel this way. I think it's much too late. I wish I had never married Ron, that you never married Astoria or Pansy. I wish that you had never been a Death Eater and we had just been normal through school so that we could have done this like normal people. Then we wouldn't have lost out on all that time-"

Draco cut her off. "I don't agree. I think that if we had missed out on all those things, we would have been different people. I'm glad I went through all that crap and that I've been with such horrible, stuck up women. It's because of those people and those experiences that I know I'm in the right place in my life now. I know that you're a good woman Hermione, because I've been with my share of hags. And because of that I'm going to honor and appreciate you as long as you'll have me. I'm not going to forget how lucky I am, or take you for granted. Weasley had it too good for far too long. He never realized what he had until it was too late. He turned into the bad guy right when I got my act together. His loss, my win."

"Indeed" Hermione was grinning from ear to ear.

Draco maintained his sincerity, "But I don't want you to feel pressured into saying you love me just because I'm falling madly in love with you. I feel like I might have been too bold last night-"

"Madly?" Hermione cut him off with a stupid grin on her face. All she had heard was that he was falling madly in love with her and she could feel the butterflies going crazy within her. "You're madly in love with me?"

Draco was silent as he turned his head away.

"Are you blushing Draco Malfoy?" She dipped her head to try to get a good look at his shying face.

"Of course not," Draco stood up and walked past her as he headed towards the bedroom. Hermione chased along after him.

"You were! Your cheeks were as red as a-"

"As a what? A Weasley?" Draco spat out and walked faster to avoid her. Hermione matched his pace and before he could shut the bedroom door on her, she had snuck her way inside. He was trapped.

Hermione tried to turn him around to face her. "Say it again."

"Say what?" Draco was still turned away from her, reaching back to prevent her from getting around to face him.

"Say what you just said downstairs. I don't know why you're so embarrassed." Hermione was as giddy as a school girl in that moment. Draco Malfoy was in love with her. It was for real. It hadn't just been said in the passion of making love. They were awake and, for the most part, clear headed. He was vulnerable and wanting to make sure she felt the same way. She could sense his fear, he was afraid that she didn't love him too. That's why he was acting this way. He didn't want to be left alone, knowing he that was the only one between them that felt the way he did.

Yes, it was true that Hermione was falling deeply in love with Draco Malfoy. She was almost certain of it, but she wasn't going to confirm it until Draco turned around, looked her in the face and admitted it first.

"Draco," she pleaded. He finally turned around to face her looking mildly upset.

"What?" he spat. He was holding himself in such a child-like manner, but it only made her smile.

"Say it again."

"Is this funny to you, Granger? Are you enjoying playing around with me?"

"Well, I think I may have earned that right. Just a tad, don't you think? After all the heckling you put me through in school," she teased.

"This isn't a game to me."

"I know, and it's not a game to me either Draco."

"Then stop giggling!" Draco snapped.

Hermione couldn't help it. The more upset he became the giddier she felt. "Oh Draco, you are absolutely adorable."

That had been the wrong thing to say. She had clearly upset him.

"Adorable?" He couldn't believe her. "Did you hit your head at some point this morning and I missed it?"

"Calm down Draco," she touched his cheek as she spoke to him.

'Damn this woman' Draco thought to himself. Just the slightest touch from her could instantly calm him. Her hand was so warm pressed against his face. He took hold of her wrist and pulled her closer towards him. He wanted her nearer.

"Please, just answer the fucking question" he painfully begged.

"I don't believe you asked me anything Draco."

"You know what I'm asking," insisted Draco.

Hermione smiled and allowed him to hold her just a bit tighter. "Yes, I'm falling madly in love with you too Draco. And I love every minute of it."

Before his smile could fully form, Hermione had pushed herself up a little higher and kissed him tenderly on the lips. Their passion quickly escalated and they soon found themselves landing back into bed.

Once again, Draco Malfoy got his way as they spent the entire day making love.

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A:N/ Eeep! I admit it, I kinda let this story slide a bit. But, in my defense, I was on vacation in Disney World for two weeks and school started back up. I'm going to see this story through to the end, I'm just not going to make any promises on how fast that will happen. I'm sooo grateful for those of you who have continued to read since Chapter one and Welcome! To all of you who have just joined us. I hope you're enjoying the story. Please remember to review and let me know what you think. I have a few developing ideas for upcoming chapters but I'm open for suggestions. So let me know where you'd like this story to head and it just might fuel my muse! Also, I am desperately looking for a beta. So if any of you are interested in being a beta for this story and/or a couple of my others, message me and let me know. Thanks!


	31. Can't Move On

"Draco, are you ready to go yet? We need to get there by three so I can have enough time to meet the new baby!" Hermione yelled upstairs as she stood impatiently by the front door.

Draco finally came down, brushing his hand back through his hair to keep it in place. "I said I was coming. Why do we have to get there at three? Can't we eat first then go later?" Draco whined.

"No," responded Hermione impatiently. "You know why we can't arrive later. I don't want to risk running into him and Harry promised me he told Ron that he couldn't visit before five."

"Okay. Well, let's go then!" said Draco impatiently. He didn't care for being rushed, especially when it had anything to do with Potter or Weasley.

"Finally," muttered Hermione as she took Draco's hand and they apparated to St. Mungo's. Hermione quickly rushed to the receptionist's desk to find out what room Ginny was in.

"Potter," she requested.

The receptionist took her sweet time looking through her log to find the room. Draco could see how impatient Hermione was getting by the way she was standing. She was such a feisty witch when she wanted something.

Hermione practically bolted down the hall when she finally received the room number. Draco followed close behind her, so as not to lose her.

"Oh Ginny!" Hermione carefully embraced her friend as she lay in bed holding her new born child, multiple pillows propped up behind her. Harry was standing proudly by his wife's side.

"Merlin, Harry, she is so beautiful," Hermione stated in awe of the precious little girl in Ginny's arms.

Draco decided it was best to fall back and recline against the door way and watch the scene play out before him.

"Would you like to hold her?" Ginny asked. Her voice was slightly rasped and strained. She looked and sounded exhausted, but her eyes shone with pride and happiness.

"Would I ever." Hermione's response came out as reverent as a whisper while Ginny carefully placed the new born baby into her arms.

"What did you decide to name her?"

"Her name is Amelia," answered Harry. "Amelia Nymphadora Potter"

"Oh Harry, Tonks would have loved that."

Harry just smiled and watched his daughter lying contently in Hermione's welcoming arms.

Hermione gazed down at Amelia with affection and admiration. "She is so beautiful."

Draco studied her reaction from a distance. He had never seen this side of Hermione before. She looked so comfortable holding onto a child that was less than a day old. It came so natural to her. Draco would never hold something that young and fragile. He'd be a nervous wreck. Too afraid he'd drop it or hold on too tightly. But not Hermione, she looked more confidant holding that child than he'd ever seen her before.

"Draco, come inside and meet Amelia," invited Hermione.

"Uh…"Draco hesitantly walked into the room. Even though she wasn't glaring at him, he could feel that Ginny was less than thrilled that he was there. He even preferred standing closer to Potter than to move any closer to the flame headed woman lying in bed.

"Draco, seriously, come here. She is so beautiful. You just have to see her up close," insisted Hermione.

"I can see her from here," Draco excused.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked to him expectantly. Harry gave him an encouraging shove forward, towards Hermione and Amelia.

"What's wrong Malfoy? Don't you want one of your own someday?" teased Harry. He was entertained by how uncomfortable and scared Draco looked, and it wasn't even his child.

"It'd probably be best that he didn't breed, Love," remarked Ginny. She tried to make her tone sound as if she had been joking, but Draco could tell that she wasn't. Not really.

Hermione was still looking at him expectantly, so he crossed over to the other side of the room and timidly stood over her shoulder.

It was amazing how small Amelia was. He couldn't help but wonder what Hermione had looked like when she was a baby. Had she been tiny like Amelia, or a chubby baby? What would her children look like when they were born? Would their children be one in the same? Did he want that? Did she?

Draco was looking at Amelia's tiny fingers. They looked like little grains of rice with nails at each end. It was unbelievable how small they were. They barely fit around his pinky.

Draco hadn't noticed when he had reached his arm around Hermione to interact with the baby, but he didn't want to move. It felt nice. It felt right having her in his arms with a perfect little baby in her arms. Well, not quite perfect. The baby may be cute, but she was still a Weasley/Potter.

Then his picture perfect moment was ruined by the last person he could ever care to see.

"Really Gin? You let this murderer see my niece before you invite me?" The snarky comment came from the doorway. Harry turned around and walked in front of the doorway to keep him from coming in.

"Ron, you were supposed to come at five," reminded Harry.

"I didn't know I had to make an appointment to see my sister, my niece and my best friend."

Something was wrong. Hermione could tell by the tone and volume of his voice that Ron had been drinking. She felt a wave of anxiety rush through her and decided it best to hand Amelia back to her mother, lest Ron do something unpredictable and stupid.

"You know that Hermione is just like family to us. She was really anxious to meet Amelia so I told her to come before you got here."

"Yes well, I'm here now so she can leave." Ron tried to barge in but Harry raised his hand across the doorway to prevent him entry.

"Ron, go wait in the lobby." Harry ordered, "I'll come get you when Hermione is done meeting the baby."

"Fuck you Harry. I'm not going to go out in the lobby as if I need to wait my turn to spend time with my family. Especially not for some Death Eater and his Mudblood whore." He spat.

"That's enough" Harry hissed.

Ginny clenched her eyes in frustration and annoyance as she held her daughter tighter. Hermione had taken hold of Draco's wand hand, sensing his itch to grab it from his pocket and hex Ron through the wall.

"Thanks Gin," Ron called out a little louder even though Ginny could hear him perfectly clear. Lavender won't let me see my kids and now you won't let me meet my niece. I'll just give up trying to be near children all together. Fuck it. I'll just drink all I want, do what I want, and you all can go to hell." He straggled a bit then regained his balance. He stepped away like he was going to leave then turned around once more. "By the way Hermione, you look terrible. I told you that bastard would ruin you and I was right."

Draco's nostrils flared as he reluctantly held his composure and resisted the urge to retaliate against Ron.

"Ron, you need to leave. Right now," insisted Harry. "I don't want to have to call security."

"Whatever mate. You want me gone? I'm gone. I don't need any of you anyway." He turned away and stumbled back down the hall.

When it was clear he was gone, Hermione spoke up.

"How did he get here anyway? He couldn't have apparated in the state he's in…"

"Yes he could have. He's already splinched himself three times in the last two months," said Ginny with a strained annoyance.

Ron's drinking had been spiraling out of control over the course of the last few months.

"You know that he and Lavender are in the middle of a nasty custody battle, right? Well, she's been granted temporary custody of the children until their next hearing. Ron didn't take it well at all and he's definitely not making odds better for himself by drinking himself into oblivion on a regular basis," explained Harry.

"Harry, he can't come over to the house anymore." Now that Ron was gone, Ginny clearly appeared to be shaken up by her brother's state.

"I know Gin, I know." Harry regretfully agreed.

"Has he been coming over to your house like that?" Hermione asked. She was ashamed to admit that she had not maintained the best contact with her friends over the last few months. She was experiencing a whirlwind romance with Draco and for the most part, their love occupied most of her time. It was entirely normal for new lovers to seclude themselves away from the world to bask in the love they felt for each other. But she still felt a twinge of guilt for having been out of the picture for so long.

Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, he shows up at random times. Sometimes he's belligerent and angry and then other times he's just really depressed. To be honest, I haven't really seen my best friend in him since the two of you split up."

"Have your kids seen him like that?" asked Hermione.

"Yup, each and every one of them. I have to tell them that their Uncle Ron is sick to explain his behavior, because I feel ashamed kicking my own brother out of my house but I just-I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry Harry." Ginny looked on the verge of tears. Harry placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Gin. I'll take care of everything. Don't worry about Ron. I'll make sure he gets the help he needs."

Ginny nodded her head as Harry wiped her tears off her cheek.

Draco could sense that Hermione felt unsettled. He put his arm around her and ran his hand down her back.

"Harry, if there's anything I can do-"

"It's probably best if you just avoid the situation altogether Hermione, honestly," said Harry. "You saw how upset he got when he saw you were here."

"Yes but, if you need to send the kids over to my house you can always do that to prevent them from seeing Ron like that. I have plenty of space at my house."

"Thank you Hermione. We just didn't want to impose on you and Draco," admitted Ginny.

"You're my family. You're never imposing. Where are the kids now?"

"With my mother," said Ginny.

"How is she dealing with Ron acting like this?"

"She doesn't know everything. He hasn't gotten like this in front of her yet. He knows it would break her heart. Mum is definitely worried though. He hasn't spoken to her in weeks. I keep telling her that he's an idiot and that she didn't do anything wrong. But she still feels like she's ruined herself as a mother or something," answered Ginny.

"That's nonsense," replied Hermione.

"Of course we know that. But when your kids aren't strong enough to handle the things that life throws at them, as a parent, you feel responsible. You know, you wonder what did I forget to teach them? Did they learn that from me?" explained Harry.

Hermione pulled herself away from Draco to comfort her best friend. "Ron is responsible for himself and his own actions. No one else can be held accountable for the choices he makes."

"Of course." Harry half smiled as he agreed with her. It felt so odd to be in their current state, the golden trio would never be the same. The close friendship the three of them had was forever broken apart, everything had changed. The past was gone and it seemed that Ron was determined to self-destruct with it rather than pull himself together and live for a new future.

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A:N/ Story is about to take a new turn from here on out. Hope you're along for the ride and still enjoying it. I was going to upload before I went to work tonight but my computer hated me. But here it is now! So enjoy! Remember to review, it makes me sooooo happy! And I like to be happy! XD


	32. Invaded

Hermione should have been happy that Ron was so miserable, but she wasn't. She was perfectly content with merely having him out of her life. That was all she wanted in her new life. She truly did not wish ill on him. Of course, she knew that Ron had always been a heavy drinker but she had rarely seen him rely on alcohol as a crutch in the way that he was doing now.

"Stop worrying about him," Draco interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Stop worrying about Weasel. You can't do anything to help him, nor should you." They were re-cataloging books in the library and over the last hour Draco had finished an entire section while Hermione had only gone through three, or maybe five books.

Hermione set the book down that was in her hand and sat down at the table. "I don't want to help him. I'm more concerned about Ginny and Harry."

"It's their choice if they want to be friends with him and worry about his problems."

"He's family," argued Hermione.

"_Their_ family, not yours and therefore-not your problem."

"Harry said that we should know if he's going to be granted any kind of custody at the end of the week. We all know that's not going to happen with him in his present state. How is he going to handle that kind of blow?" Hermione fretted.

"Who cares?" said Draco irritably. He sat down across from Hermione. "Hermione, Love, I know that you don't wish him ill. Merlin knows I wish him ill enough for the both of us, but that doesn't mean you need to concern yourself with his business. It doesn't matter how he'll handle the news that he's not going to get his kids back. He doesn't deserve them."

"Neither does that bitch-"Hermione grumbled.

Draco slammed his hand on the table. It made Hermione jump.

"I'm sorry to get short with you but who bloody cares? Hermione, Lavender doesn't matter, and Ron doesn't matter. That chapter of your life is over." Draco took hold of her hands and looked her straight in the eye, "It's all about us now so you can let all of that go."

Hermione glared at him, "I can't just pretend that part of my life never happened!"

"I'm not asking you to," strained Draco as he dropped her hands. "I'm asking you to let it go and stop worrying about what happens to either of them. They don't' deserve a second of your time. When the judge makes a decision on the custody of their spawn, I'm sure Harry will let you know. Merlin knows Ginny will, she can't keep her trap closed for more than two seconds at a time. Until then, keep it off of your mind and help me sort these books because I'm pretty sure I've been doing it wrong for the last hour."

Hermione sighed as she glanced over his work, "You're right. You are terrible at this."

"That being said," Draco defended himself, "I've still gotten more work accomplished than you."

Hermione cringed because he was right. "I'm sorry I've been so distracted. You're right, let's get this done so we can go home."

_Home,_ Draco loved it when she spoke like that. Home wasn't necessarily Hermione's house nor was it Draco's place. Wherever they wound up together was home for the both of them and he loved that the term came so naturally to her. He rarely heard her say, 'Let's go back to my house.' It was always 'Let's go home.' It was a silly observation that made him incredibly happy.

Each day that passed by made him feel that what they were building together was real and a sturdy foundation that he could build the rest of his life on. Hermione was just his girlfriend at this point but if things continued down the promising road they were set on, he could envision her becoming more; real fast. Although, the idea of marrying for a third time did scare Draco. He knew without doubt that Hermione was a better woman than Pansy and Astoria combined but he had always been reluctant to reflect upon his own faults. He was hesitant to be honest with himself about his responsibility in his marriages failing. The last thing he wanted to do was make the same mistakes with Hermione.

/

It was late in the night when they finished cataloging the section in the library that they had been working on. All hopes of a romantic night in bed were long forgotten the second their heads hit the pillow. Exhaustion filled their bodies and the temptation to relax their muscles and succumb to sleep was overpowering. Without thinking Draco drew Hermione's body in closer to his so that she slept with her head placed gently on his chest.

They were drawn so deep in sleep that they didn't hear the front door open or the footsteps move up the stairs approaching their room. They couldn't smell the intoxication wafting through the air as he passed by their bedside to sit at the end of it to observe them in disgust.

The stranger in the room lit the tip of his wand and sat there watching them in eerie, looming silence until Hermione moved ever so slightly to adjust, pulling herself deeper into the arms of them man enfolding her. He stood back up and moved to the bedroom door. It made a soft click as the stranger locked it. Then he walked over to the window in the room, and pulled it down shut before locking it as well. The previous current of fresh air in the room had stopped and the room quickly filled with a thick stillness. It was the unnatural stillness of the room that caused Hermione's eyes to gently flutter open.

The light had already left his wand by the time she opened her eyes to see the room filled with darkness. She couldn't see more than a few inches in front of her from the strained moonlight slipping into the room, enough to see Draco lying beside her. She felt a sudden drop in her core and suddenly felt that something was wrong. She pulled the blanket up tighter around her body and sat up in bed. She was about to swing her legs off the bed to stand up when she heard a voice pierce through the darkness, making her freeze.

"About time you woke 'Mione."

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A:N/ Dun, dun, dunnnn! Yes, this chapter is a lil bland, I know. Sorry for the long wait between updates. I got a lot going on but I'm not going to give up on the story. I revised some of my plans for the future of this story and I'm really excited. I got the next few chapters written and I'm just revising them so the next few updates will be speedy. Hope you liked! Remember, I always love your reviews! Keeps me motivated!


	33. Flames of Vengeance

Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. Ron had entered her room and was now sitting on her bed. She rubbed her eyes and focused them again to make sure she wasn't going crazy.

She wasn't.

"To be honest 'Mione, I thought you wudd'av been smarter 'dan this. I assumed you wudd'av put up sum kind of protection to keep me from coming in." Ron slurred. His entire demeanor was sloppy and on edge.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" She could hear that he was wasted in alcohol. He was sitting at the edge of the bed again, closer to her this time, and she could smell the Fire Whiskey reeking off of him. From the sound of sloshing liquid, she suspected he was holding the bottle in his hand.

The sound of Hermione's voice and the pressure of Ron sitting on the bed was enough to wake Draco from his deep sleep.

"Come back to bed babe," Draco mumbled as he reached forward for Hermione, half stuck in his dream.

Hermione shook his shoulder, "Draco wake up. We have a visitor."

"Wha-?" Draco groggily sat up. He couldn't see Ron sitting beside Hermione but he definitely heard him when he spoke up.

"In fact, I think you're the da _only_ person who hasn't taken some kind-kinda action to keep me from seeing dem."

"I didn't realize I needed to take action-"Hermione said wearily. She was on edge, Ron didn't sound like himself. His tone was warped and she could feel his body weight swaying as if he was unable to steady himself.

"What the fuck is going on?" Draco sat up and reached for his wand set on the nightstand. But it wasn't there.

"Oh, right." Ron drunkenly switched on the lamp set next to Hermione's side of the bed. It was a reading light and didn't brighten the entire room but they were able to see each other now. Ron held up three wands in his hands. "I've god'dem all," he slurred.

Draco made a move like he was going to try to grab the wands from his hands but Ron quickly turned the wands in a threatening manner towards his direction.

"Settle down Ferret. You don't need these right now." He growled.

Hermione grabbed Draco's hand tightly, "Draco, just stay calm." She didn't want to excite Ron and escalate the situation.

Draco clenched his jaw and leaned tensely back against the headboard.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"I can't led my mum see me like dis…Ginny, she won't let me come over anymore, I can't even step on her property widdout being banished…" he moaned.

Hermione nodded her head and just listened.

"Did-did you know dat Lavender and Dean are getting married? Yeah, they are. They put an official announcement in the prophet yesterday, did you see it? Hmm? Everyone in de wizarding world is probably laughing about it, you know?"

"Why are you telling us this?" asked Draco irritably.

Ron ignored him, "And-and I-I know that Dean is a good man, y'know?" Ron paused for a brief moment with a ghost ridden look in his eyes. He shook it off with another drink as he continued, The bottle hadn't even left his lips when he started talking again, "He's a good man…besides him-him sleeping with Lavender behind my back. And to think- I thought, I thought he was ma mate," he stammered.

Hermione couldn't help but scoff at that. Was he looking for her sympathy? He was practically holding her hostage in her own room. "I know that the court is going to take one look at them and give them full custody. I just know it." He finished before turning his attention back to the fire whiskey.

"So you're not even going to try to win partial custody of your children?" Hermione asked, baffled.

"No, there's no point." He tipped the bottle back and took a deep drink. Hermione could not believe how fast he was consuming his drink. She knew that most grown men could only handle a few shots of it before they were spent; Ron was guzzling it like it was mere water. She couldn't help but feel unease at his disposition.

"Not if you keep drinking Ron. Sober up, clean yourself up and then go to the hearing this week. You can't know what's going to happen." She scolded. She had half a mind to rip the bottle of his hands but she wasn't sure how he would react so she kept her hands to herself.

"No one wants me in der life anymore, nod her, not my kids, my sister, my-my own mother and I was sure that I would come here and not be able to even geddon your front lawn. But I find that your door was the only door open. The only one," he paused his rambling to take another deep drink of whiskey, "…and I come up here to our room to find you in bed with him." he scowled and pointed the bottle in Draco's direction.

"That's because it's not your bed anymore," Draco gritted between his teeth.

Ron pointed his wand in Draco's direction as if to warn him. He continued, "And I'm reminded again that you don' love me anymore. No one does. You were probably de only good ting that eva happened to me Hermione and I ruined it. I ruined it. I just fucked it all up."

"Ron, why did you come here?" asked Hermione. Drunk or not, she was not going to pity the ruined man before her.

Ron didn't answer her question. He stared at her with his glossed over eyes, lost within the drunken shambles of his own mind. Hermione involuntarily twitched when he reached forward and caressed the side of her face with his hands. They were cold and clammy.

"You are so fucking beautiful 'Mione."

Ron was starting to make Hermione rather uncomfortable. There was a knotted feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could feel Draco's body tensing up beside her with guarded hostility.

"You were-you were always my sexy liddle chipmunk," he chuckled to himself. He was the only one laughing. "Do ya-do you remember that'Mione? Being ma chip-chipmunk? You used to love it when I called you that. I bet-I bet you still do."

Hermione tightly clenched her jaw and shut her eyes to calm herself. She remembered always hating the pet name and had been certain she would never have to hear it again.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" Hermione repeated herself, finally bringing herself to look at him again. She was tired of this. Ron was clearly ill, he had lost grip with reality and he needed help. But he wasn't going to get it this way, acting mental, drinking on the edge of her bed, bringing up memories and passively holding her hostage in her own room.

"I-just-I-just…" Ron's demeanor and mood switched like a flip. The reminiscent sparkle in his eyes quickly faded and was replaced by a gloom. "I just miss you Hermione."

_What? Am I invisible here?_ Draco thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. Wand-less or not, he wasn't going to permit this to go on much longer.

Ron quickly pushed the limit of his tolerance when he drunkenly leaned forward and attempted to kiss Hermione.

"Geroff me Ron, Stop!' Hermione tried to push him away, shielding her hands in front of her face as best she could as he persistently lunged his face towards her.

Draco was quick to jump out of bed and run to the opposite side of the bed where Ron was sitting. He pulled Ron away from Hermione and pushed him down onto the floor. "What the hell are you doing!" he angrily shouted.

Ron pulled himself up off the floor and fell back down. He could feel the ground moving below him as a result of his drinking. Hermione got out of bed and stood next to Draco, lightly shaken. Watching Ron make a futile effort to regain his balance in the midst of his drunken stupor made her feel very bothered. She almost felt bad for him.

Unfortunately, Ron still held a tight grip on all of their wands as he pulled himself off of the floor leaving Draco and Hermione defenseless before him.

"You're gonna, going to regret that f-ferret. You know, you can't just sleep with the woman that I- that I love and get away widdit!" Ron was practically shouting. His left eyelid was dropping down as his last few drinks began to seep into his system. His footing was uneasy and he began to stagger. He had never been this intoxicated in his life, he was beyond reality.

Ron shook his wand in Draco's direction in a pathetic attempt to hex him but he was clearly beyond function. Even sober, it would have been incredibly difficult to cast with two wands simultaneously and Ron still had three in his hand.

"Incar-Incser-incersious" He tumbled over his words as he tried in vain to cast _Incarcerous_ in Draco's direction in order to bind him.

"Ron, stop this. You're acting insane. Give me our wands, now." She held her hand out to receive them.

Ron gave up his frustrated attempt to hex Ron and gave Hermione his limited attention. "I'll give you whatever you want 'Mione if you tell dat me you love me still."

"I'm not going to do that Ron. You need to give me the wands and then you need to leave, please." She started to approach him slowly as she spoke. Draco took hold of her shoulder, uncomfortable with the idea of the women he loved moving any closer to the mad man before them.

"It's alright Draco," she tried to assure him.

"Hermione, just let him drink himself into oblivion while he rants, he'll pass out soon enough. Then we can toss him off the roof and act like we never saw him here."

"We're not going to hurt anyone Draco. Isn't that right Ron?" Hermione was still inching closer with her hand held out. "No one is going to get hurt. You need to give me the wands. I don't think it's smart for you to try to cast right now. You've really had a lot to drink." She could make out in the dim lighting that the bottle of whiskey was nearly at its end. She didn't need to ask to be sure that it had most likely been a full bottle at the beginning of the day.

"Ron, this isn't you. You're a much better man than this. I know that you are."

"Whaddif I'm not? I-I cheated on you. I hurt you and left you. I wasn't even a good enough man for Lavender. I ruin everything. All I want is to have you back Hermione. I need you. I messed up. I'm sorry, I really am, I am really am so sorry."

Ron was such a disheveled mess that Hermione couldn't be sure if he was crying or not.

"I love you Hermione and I'm not leaving until I have you back." He insisted; stomping his foot like a child having a tantrum.

"That's not going to happen, Ron." Hermione was adamant.

"I'm sick of this-"Draco took three large steps past Hermione and towards Ron. He grabbed Ron's wrist that was holding onto the wands and attempted to pry them out of his hand in a violent struggle.

Hermione stepped away as they wrangled around the room, pushing against each other in an aggressive brawl.

"How dare you break into our home and try to cry your way back into her life." Draco angrily gritted between his teeth as he twisted Ron's arm tightly, pressing his nails into his skin. "You need to understand that Hermione is mine, and she will never again be yours-"

Ron's next move was unpredictable. He violently pushed away from Draco, throwing Draco's and Hermione's wands away in the process. They rolled on the floor and stepped by the bedside. Hermione quickly scrambled to the floor to retrieve them. She had barely stood back up when she heard the sound of breaking glass on the floor. Ron had thrown the whiskey bottle down between himself and Draco. Draco lent back away from the shattered glass.

"Fuck you Malfoy. You don't deserve her. You never did and you never will." Ron had a sudden moment of clarity as he pointed his wand directly at Draco.

"Ron, Stop!"

"_Incarcerous_!" Ropes quickly spit out from his wand and wound their way around Draco. He quickly lost his balance and fell to the floor. Hermione ran to his aid, attempting to pull the ropes off of him. But for some strange reason they were tightening against his skin, as if Ron's anger were penetrated into the strands.

"_Incendio!_" Ron pointed his wand directly at the puddle of whiskey spreading on the floor. It quickly ignited in roaring flames.

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked, "What are you doing?" She was still pulling at the rope wrapped around Draco's body as she attempted to put out the flames. "_Aguamenti_!" she repeated the charm three times to no avail. The flames were quickly spreading to the drapes and were climbing upward towards the ceiling. She gave up her attempt to calm the flames and focused on getting Draco unbound. "_Finite incantatem_!" The ropes instantly relaxed and Draco was able to pull them of off of his body.

Hermione looked up; Ron was standing on the opposite side of the room in stillness just watching the flames spread.

"Ron, we have to get out of here. Come on!"

Ron looked at her with a sullen and grave expression. He had clearly given up hope and had no will to fight the flames growing before him. It honestly tore at her heart. But nothing could have prepared her for what he did next. It would break her heart forever.

Ron calmly pointed his wand to the door that he had physical locked and charmed it, "_Colloportus_." He ensured that it was locked with magic so that none of them could get out.

Hermione gasped, "Ron," she breathed out in disbelief. "Ron, how could you?" She was in shock. She couldn't believe that the man who had been her friend for most of her life, who she had once loved deeply and given more than half her life to had just set fire to her room and locked her inside it. She never could have dreamed that he was capable of such a feat. And yet here they were, consumed in the flames of vengeance.

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The End!

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Just kidding! Not even close. Hope you liked the chapter. Will update soon, just editing the next chapter. Let me know what you think, I live for your reviews! Thanks! x


	34. Caught In The Fire

The smoke was spreading faster than the flames. The room had been dark before the fire had started and now the smoke was making it steadily more difficult to see.

"Hermione!" she heard Draco call out her name. He had just been behind her. She turned around and held her hands out, she couldn't see more than a foot in front of her and she wasn't able to feel him next to her.

"Hermione!" he called out again. "We have to get out of here!"

"I-I-"she couldn't think. Her brain wasn't processing correctly. She started to choke as the smoke began to fill her lungs. "Draco!" She tried to call out for him in the midst of her coughing.

"I'm by the door. Make your way over!" he cried out for her.

She squinted and tried to look through the darkness to see where Ron was standing. "Ron!" She was having a hard time breathing as the smoke burrowed around her. She had no choice but to drop to her knees in order to breathe. She called out, her face practically touching the floorboard. "Ron, are you okay? We have to get out of here. Make your way over to the door!"

She started to crawl in the direction that she knew the door was. She kept calling for Ron, hoping he would come to his sense and follow her voice before it was too late. A tight grip took hold of her wrist and lifted her up off the floor. She knew it was Draco who had picked her up the second her body pressed up against his. He held her closely.

"It's okay. I've got you. _Alohomora_" The door made a click and without hesitation Draco slammed his body against the door to open it; Hermione held tightly in his arms.

They both fell through onto the floor, coughing with relief as fresher air flooded their lungs.

Hermione looked behind her to see if Ron was coming. "Ron!" she screamed out, on the edge of hysteria. "Ron, you come through this door this minute!"

Adrenaline was racing through her veins causing her to shake. She looked up hopelessly to Draco. His face was gray with soot, and his eyes were mildly blood shot from the smoke as he returned her gaze.

"We have to help him." she pleaded.

"Hermione, what can we do? We can't put the fire out, it's spreading too fast. We have to get out of here."

Hermione pursed her lips, her nostrils stubbornly flared. She was torn. Ron was not in his right mind. She had loved him with all her heart once and she wasn't going to sit there and just let him burn and die in her home. She ripped herself away from Draco's grip and ran back inside the room.

"Hermione!" Draco shouted out as he leapt towards her. He was about to race back into the room after her when they both emerged from the doorway. Ron had been standing near the doorway the entire time, purposely choosing not to come out. He had his arm around Hermione's upper chest and his wand pressed against her throat in a hostage like manner. Draco could tell he was injured and bleeding mildly. His arm had been severely singed by the fire and was dripping blood onto Hermione's torso.

Ron edged them away from the room as the flames began to lick the doorframe.

"Let her go-_now_." Draco rasped. He tried to swallow but had a difficult time; his mouth was incredibly dry from the fire spreading around them.

"Move over to the stairway" Ron ordered.

Draco didn't move.

"Unless you want to be in the hall when the fire makes it way out here?" Ron pressed. "And put your wand away."

Draco complied, slipping his wand back into his robe; he put his hands up in surrender. All three of them slowly moved closer towards the stairway.

"Ron, why are you doing this? Let me go and we can all walk away from this safely. Please?" Hermione pleaded. She would have cried if her eyes weren't so dried out from the smoke. They were burning. She would have given anything for the relief of moisture.

"Ron, I swear to Merlin if you don't let her go this instant-"Draco threatened.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to let you go Hermione, not ever. I won't let him have you." Ron whispered in her ear as if to console her before pressing a hot, dry kiss against her cheek. His breathed still reeked of whiskey. He was demented, he had lost his mind. Hermione was now terrified; she didn't know the man that was holding onto her. The Ron she knew was gone and this mental, drunk monster was now controlling his body.

"Please Ron," she begged, "Let's just move out of the house. Away from the fire…the flames are getting closer, please!" She began to struggle against him, but this only forced him to hold her tighter.

The smoke was starting to take over the top floor of the house. She knew it was only a matter of time before the entire house would be in flames. She could feel the heat accelerating, moving closer to them. She began to cough again. In the midst of her coughing fit she began to violently hunch over. Ron eased his grip on her, allowing her enough space to regain some composure. She took advantage of the position and aggressively elbowed him in his stomach. He lurched over in pain as he cursed. Draco quickly grabbed onto Hermione's arm and started to run them downstairs, making sure Hermione stayed in front of him.

Ron immediately chased after them and kicked Draco square in the back, causing him to fall over Hermione. They began to tumble down the stairs. Draco stood up at the bottom of the staircase and quickly tried to grab Hermione once more but Ron had beaten him to her.

At the very least they were farther away from the fire. But it didn't mean much; the smoke was determined to take over the house long before the flames would. Hermione was terrified that they were all going to suffocate and began to lose hope.

"Draco, just go." She stopped struggling against Ron. "Please, don't stay here. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"Stop talking like that. I'm not going to leave you Hermione."

"Tough spot for you because I'm not letting her go Malfoy. I'll never let you have her."

"Weasel, I will die here in this fire before abandoning her. That's what makes me a man and you a coward."

"You can't say anything to faze me Malfoy because I'm going to win, not you. You're never going to be with Hermione. I love her too much and I know she loves me." Ron started to forcefully drag Hermione back up the stairs. She tripped over her feet as she tried to walk backwards up the stairs, confined in his grasp.

Draco looked upward; the flames were starting to descend the staircase. He was pulling them both towards the fire. He quickly ran up the stairs after them and took hold of Hermione's waist, pulling her way from Ron's grasp with all of his might.

Hermione could feel the heat accelerating behind them and feared deeply that they were soon to be engulfed in the flames. She grabbed onto Ron's arm and pulled it up to her mouth. She bit him with all the strength she could muster. He cried out sharply, caught off guard. Draco took advantage of the surprise attack and pushed him back towards the fire as he pulled Hermione away, towards safety.

Draco turned them both around and without a second glance back ran them down the stairs. He never lost grip of her hand as they ran to the front of the house, farther away from the consuming flames. When they arrived at the front door Draco flew it open and pushed Hermione outside, following closely behind her.

Hermione cringed as she heard Ron cry out as the stairs fell out from under him, consuming him in the flames. Her hands clutched onto the dew ridden grass beneath her as waves of pain coursed through her heart.

There was no helping him now.

Hermione collapsed on the lawn, overwrought. Her hair was lightly singed and she was covered in blood and soot. It was a terrible sight to see.

"Hermione love, you have to get up. We need to get farther away from the house. It's still not safe." Draco tugged at her arm, trying to get her to stand.

Hermione just went limp, blubbering incoherently as she cried. "No, no, no, Draco, nooo. This can't be happening."

She was in shock. Draco couldn't wait for her to calm down though. He picked her up in his arms and apparated her far away from the burning house and to the safety of his own home.

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A:N/ Sooo...hmm, yeah. Not sure what to say right now. R.I.P. Ron? Review and let me know what you think. Next chapter up soon!


	35. Lingering Smoke

As soon as they arrived at his home, Draco laid Hermione down on his couch and began to check over her to ensure she wasn't injured.

"Are you wounded?" asked Draco frantically. They were both shaken up.

Hermione merely shook her head, in a daze. She was still in shock.

Draco kept checking her over until he was certain that all the blood on her belonged to Ron. Then he left her unattended for a moment to alert the ministry of the fire. He told them that there was a man still trapped inside. What he didn't tell them was that he was, most likely, already dead.

Neither of them could believe what had just happened. Draco returned to Hermione and sat next to her on the couch. She lay down on the couch, resting her head on his lap. He instinctively put his arms around her in a protective manner. It wasn't long before he felt her wet tears falling onto his lap. They were far and few between because she was still dehydrated from the fire. Hermione felt that every last drop of moisture contained in her body was now slowly escaping through her eyes. She didn't care if it sucked all the hydration out and killed her in that moment. It was beyond her imagination to accept that Ron was dead…and that he'd almost taken both of them with him.

Draco's mouth felt parched beyond description. He gently removed Hermione from his lap and went to fetch two tall glasses of water from his kitchen.

"Drink this," he passed the glass to Hermione. She held onto it but didn't take a drink. Draco was drinking his so fast that he hadn't realized. He reached over to refill her glass, as well as his own and felt that her glass remained untouched.

"Hermione you have to drink something."

"I don't want to," she spoke softly.

"Hermione, please. Don't fight me on this. I know you must be upset but you have to be exceedingly thirsty right now." He lifted the glass up to her lips and encouraged her to drink. She reluctantly opened her mouth and let the cool water fall onto her tongue. After one simple drink she found that her body craved more. She grabbed the glass from him and chugged the rest down.

"Thank you. I'll go get us another." Draco took the empty glass and went back to the kitchen.

When he re-entered the living room, he found Hermione fully laid down on the couch and fast sleep. Her body was beyond exhaustion from having survived the terrible ordeal they had both been forced through. Draco set the glass of water on the coffee table beside the couch and went to his room to fetch a blanket and pillow for her.

Looking into his room, he briefly remembered the first night he had brought Hermione to his home. If someone had told him and that it wouldn't be their last night together and that they would end up together he never would have believed it. Sure, their reunion had been nonconventional but he would always be grateful for that night as long as he lived. He wasn't going to let anyone take Hermione out of his life. Tonight, above all other trials, proved that. He grabbed all the blankets off of his bed and few pillows and returned to the living room.

He covered Hermione up with the blanket and gently lifted her head and laid it onto the pillow. Her hair smelled like smoke and ash. He frowned and gently ran his hand through her dry curls, moving it away from her forehead so that he could lean down and place a kiss onto her temple. She flinched slightly but didn't wake up. She just pulled the blanket tighter around her body and turned onto her side, inward towards the couch.

Draco didn't feel comfortable leaving Hermione alone tonight. He had come too close to losing her to let her out of his sight anytime soon. He laid down a pillow and second blanket onto the floor in the space between the coffee table and the couch and lay down.

He was about to succumb to sleep when he heard Hermione whimpering in her sleep. He sat up and gently shook her arm.

"Hermione, Hermione wake up. You're dreaming. Wake up." He gently coaxed. She turned around to face him and peered open her eyes.

"Draco?" she croaked.

Draco gently caressed her arm as he spoke. "Yeah, it's me. You were just sleeping."

"But-but it wasn't a dream was it Draco? There was a really a fire and Ron is really dead, isn't it?" Her lower lip began to tremble. She looked so feeble and spent that it pulled at Draco's heartstrings.

"I'm so sorry baby," Draco apologized with all the empathy in his heart.

Her eyes were only partially opened but they quickly began to well up. She reached out and clung onto him. He pulled her in closer and allowed her to cry on his shoulder, her tears falling onto his back.

"It's going to be okay though," he comforted her with a soothing tone. "I'm not going to go anywhere. I'll take care of you and you'll get through this stronger than you were before."

"I feel like this is my entire fault," she lamented.

"Hermione look at me," he took hold of the sides of her face and focused her attention on him. "Listen to me. This is not your fault. You are not to be blamed for what happened."

"But he did this because he broke my heart and then I broke his heart in return."

"No, he did this because he lost touch with reality and became a drunk. Regardless of how he felt about you, you can't blame yourself. Now try to relax and go back to sleep."

She looked at him with the most helpless, tear ridden eyes. Draco wiped the tear that was slowly cascading down her cheek and replaced it with a kiss.

"Do you think you can get back to sleep?" he asked her.

She slowly nodded her head, "I'll try."

"Okay, I'm right here beside you if you need me."

"Okay," Hermione leaned forward and gave Draco a soft kiss. He shut his eyes and wrapped his hand around the base of her neck to kiss her more firmly.

"It's going to be okay, I promise" he whispered to her after he broke their kiss.

Draco waited for Hermione to lay back down first and watched as she fell asleep. When he was certain she was sound asleep and safe, he allowed himself to lie back down on the floor. They fell fast asleep holding hands, the smell of smoke still lingering in the air between them.

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A:N/ Gotten a few questions about the fire and why they were unable to put it out. I will explain that and more in later chapters. Next chapter up soon, Review and let me know what you think! Also, I'm working on the plot for a next fanfiction. Not sure if I'm going to post as I go or finish writing the whole thing before I start to post. We'll see. Anywho! Thanks for reading- I love you guys!


	36. Wallowing Grief

Just like the first time Hermione spent the night at Draco's, she was again awoken by an owl. She furrowed her brow and scrunched her nose as the owl ruffled its feathers in her face. Sure, it was trying to be gentle and it was a great deal better than the last owl that had tapped its beak incessantly into her forehead, but nonetheless she found it irritating. Hermione waved the owl away and it fell down onto Draco's face causing him to wake up with a startle.

"Wassat, wha-what's going on?" Draco grumbled, only half awake and found an owl sitting on his lap, quirking its head quizzically at him. It softly screeched and dropped the letter, satisfied that one of them was awake to recognize his good work of delivering the letter before it flew off.

Draco looked over the edge of the couch, Hermione had fallen back asleep. He decided it best not to wake her. He looked at the letter resting by his knee and knew that the contents had to be related to the events of last night. He picked it up and decided it best not to give it to Hermione until after she had washed up and had something to eat. He knew that in all likelihood, she wouldn't be hungry. But he would insist that she ate something. He knew from experience that if you let grief control your appetite in the beginning, you will have a difficult time regaining it.

He pulled himself off the floor and set off to make breakfast after taking a quick shower.

/

Draco came back to the living room holding two plates with bacon, eggs and toast. Hermione was still asleep.

He set the plates down and gently awoke her.

"Hermione-Hermione, wake up."

She peered an eye at him and then stubbornly shut it again before rolling back over.

"No, none of that. It's well past eleven, you need to get up. I made you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled into the pillow.

"I didn't ask you if you were hungry," said Draco sternly. He tried to roll her back over but she was insistent on not being moved.

"Leave me alone," she groaned.

"No, Hermione. You need to eat something, and take a shower."

"Why?" asked Hermione, childishly pouting as she turned back around to glare at him.

"Because you smell like-," Draco struggled with his words, "to be frank, Hermione- you smell like smoke."

Hermione painfully shut her eyes and pulled the blanket over her head. "I don't want to be awake any more."

Draco could hear that she was about to cry again. He gently pulled the blanket down past her face. Her eyes were welling with tears and her lip was quivering. Once again, it broke his heart to see her that way.

"I know that it hurts, it's going to hurt for a while but you have to take care of yourself."

"I-I can't, I don't want to." She was gasping as she spoke as if she were about to hyperventilate to keep herself from crying. Draco didn't want her to hold back her tears. He wanted her to be open with him, cry freely and allow herself to be weak.

"Then let me take care of you," he placed his hand lovingly on her knee. He picked up her plate and passed it to her. "Eat something, please. It doesn't have to be a lot, just something. I promise that it will help."

She took a moment to comprise herself before taking the plate from his hand. She ate in small nibbles, feeling guilt in every swallow. All she could think of was the fact that Ron could no longer eat, he could no longer speak, no longer laugh, smile, talk or do anything. Ron was dead, and she was alive and it made her feel terrible. The realization suddenly made her feel nauseous and she wasn't sure if she could keep her food down.

She practically threw the plate back down onto the coffee table as she pushed the covers off of her in order to escape the couch. She was grateful that she knew where Draco's room was because she knew it was connected to a bathroom. Within seconds of opening the bathroom door, she fell to her knees and got sick in the toilet.

Draco could hear her vomiting all the way in the living room.

"Well, I guess she's done with this huh?" he said to himself as he cleared their dishes. He heard the shower turn on when he went into his room to return the pillows and blankets.

He sat on his bed and waited for her to come out.

It didn't take long before the door opened and she came out. Her clothes looked considerably nicer than they had the night before. He suspected that she had used magic to fix the singed ends. Her face was red and he knew that she had been crying in the shower.

"Feel any better?"

She shrugged, walked over and sat down next to him.

"This came for you this morning." He passed her the note.

She unraveled it and read.

_Hermione,_

_ Are you alright? Ginny and I were notified this morning that your house burned down and that they found Ron dead inside. What is going on? What happened? Ginny and I looked for you at St. Mungos but they said that you never checked in there. Are you with Draco? I don't know where he lives and I want to see you and make sure you're alright. Ginny is devastated. I'm sure it would help the both of us to understand what took place last night. I hope that you're okay. Ginny and I both love you and would never want to see you hurt. Let me know where you are as soon as you get this._

_H. Potter_

Hermione's hands were trembling as she gripped the letter.

"What's wrong?" asked Draco, concerned with her reaction.

"They're going to know it was my fault. They're going to be able to see right through me. I know they're going to blame me."

Draco took the letter out of her hand and read it for himself. "Hermione, love, they just want to know that you're alright. Of course they want to know what happened. Ron was Ginny's brother."

Hermione cringed; she hated how easily Draco had adapted to the past tense version of Ron. It made her skin crawl to have to realize she too would have to adapt to the fact he was gone.

"Would it be easier for you if they came here? If that's what you need then I'm okay with that." Draco offered.

"No, I- I think that I should go there." Hermione insisted.

"Okay, then let me come with you."

"I don't think that's a good idea Draco."

"I don't care if it's a good idea Hermione. You need me right now and I'm going to be here for you. You're a mess. You have every right to be a mess, but the fact remains that you're taking this very hard and I don't think you should be by yourself when you tell them how he died. You can't know how they'll take it."

"I do know, they're going to hate me and they have every right to."

"That's not true. No one is going to blame you for what he did Hermione. Let me throw something else on. Write him back and then we'll go."

Hermione didn't move. "Uh-Draco…"

"Hmm?" Draco was already pulling out his drawer to pick out a new shirt.

"I-I don't have anything to wear." Hermione was still in her pajama bottoms and tank top. Then it just hit her like a ton of bricks; she had lost everything in the fire. She collapsed into herself and began to weep.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't realize until now…I'm sorry. I'll help you get restarted. We'll find you a better place and make it work, I promise you." Draco set his shirt down and went to console her, wrapping her in his arms.

"I-I didn't have very many things of sentimental value, at least that wasn't attached to Ron. I-I should be able to replace almost everything I lost, I'm sure of it," Hermione convinced herself out loud.

"What about your books?" Draco was almost afraid to ask.

"I'm such an idiot. The home library was the only room I had safeguarded against fire. I thought, you know, just in case there was a small fire started in the library than my collection would be safe. I never dreamed that my entire home would go up in flames one day. I should have been prepared; none of this would have happened if I had been."

"Stop blaming yourself. There is nothing you could have done to prevent this. And remember, you still have your library, nothing has happened to that." Draco tried to be optimistic. "Also, I'm sure Harry has some pictures of you with Ron that he'd be willing to share."

"Right, if he doesn't hate me after I tell him I'm the reason Ron's dead."

Draco gave her a scolding look, "Stop talking like that Hermione. He's not going to think that. Now, I'm pretty sure I have some of Pansy and Astoria's clothes in the basement if it's not going to be too weird for you to wear them? There are probably a couple pairs of shoes down there as well."

"Sure, I guess. I mean- it's all I have to work with right now."

"Okay, come on. We'll find you something."

They walked downstairs and pulled out a couple of secluded boxes that had clothes in them. Hermione found an outfit rather quickly and they headed backstairs. She decided it wasn't the best time to ask him why he still had some of his ex-wives' things lying around in his basement.

She took a deep breath and wrote a reply on the back of Harry's letter.

_Harry_

_ I'm at Draco's place. I'm not hurt and I'm coming over to explain everything right now. Draco is coming with me, I hope that's alright. I need him to help me get through this right now. I hope you understand. _

_ Hermione_

Hermione used Draco's eagle owl to send it off before she taking hold of Draco's hand, getting ready to apparate.

"Draco," she spoke before stepping forward to send them off.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for being here for me."

Draco gave her a small smile and reassuringly squeezed her hand. "Of course, it's where I belong."

Hermione returned the small smile. It was weak and weighed down with grief, but it was honest. She squeezed his hand one more time for a quick burst over courage, stepped forward and apparated them over to the Potter's home.

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Awww, she's such a sad panda. :'( Write a review if you think that Hermione is a sad panda too! Next chapter up soon! I think i'm on a roll! *Knocks on wood*


	37. Whirlwind Rising

Hermione had barely touched her foot down onto the doorstep when the front door flew open and Harry pulled her into his arms with a death-tight grip.

"Hermione, I'm so glad to see you."

His tone was tight and rough and Hermione knew he had been crying.

Draco kept his distance as the two old friends shared their grief.

"How is- how is Ginny holding up?" Hermione was almost afraid to ask.

Harry shook his head in sorrow. "Not well. Her entire family is at the burrow right now and I haven't been able to talk her into going over to be with them."

"Why wouldn't she want to be with her family at a time like this?"

"I think it would make this all too real for her. She's not ready to accept that he's…that he's really gone." Harry's voice caught in his throat at having to accept out-loud that his friend was really gone. His face turned a bit paler after having said it. "I wish you would have contacted me sooner- but I'm glad you're here now."

"I know, it's just that this has all happened so fast and it feels so unreal." Hermione explained.

Harry nodded his head in understanding. "I understand. Why don't you come inside?"

"Right, I'm sure you both have a lot of questions." Hermione looked back to Draco anxiously, he took her hand in support and they followed Harry inside.

Ginny was sitting on a couch inside of their living room with a blanket wrapped around her. Her face was pale and her hair was askew. She looked a mess. Ginny reminded Hermione of herself with Ron had first left her. As they got closer, she noticed that her legs were shaking and she was holding herself, her face was wet with tears.

"Oh Ginny," Hermione lamented. She dropped Draco's hand and rushed to pull her friend close in her embrace. "Gin- I'm so sorry that he's gone."

The two women cried, clutching onto eachother for what felt like hours but in actuality had only been minutes. When they pulled apart, Hermione sat next to her feeling helpless. She knew that there was nothing she could say or do to ease her friend's grief.

Harry sat on the sofa-chair across from them, while Draco chose to lean against the doorway separate from the group. He would observe and step in if he felt Hermione needed him.

After a few moments of awkward silence Harry finally asked, "Hermione…what happened?"

Hermione found it hard to swallow as she searched for the words to describe the ordeal. There was no great way to explain why it had happened because it didn't make much sense to her still. She could only tell the truth and she knew that the truth would hurt. But the truth was the last thing she wanted to tell the heartbroken pair before her.

Ginny was looking at her with tear-glossed expectant eyes. She needed a reason to understand why her older brother was gone. Until she understood the reason, she wouldn't be able to accept that he was really gone.

Hermione looked up at Harry sitting across from her. He was leaning forward, ready to hear why he had lost his best friend.

Hermione kept opening her mouth in an attempt to begin telling them what had happened but as quickly as her mouth opened, it would shut again until she looked like a fish gasping for air.

Sensing she was having difficulty starting Harry interrupted her gaping, "The ministry has informed us that they're doing an investigation on the event and that they'll be able to fill us in on the details in the next few days. But we would really appreciate hearing it from you. We assume you were there?"

Hermione nodded and tried to swallow again. Her mouth was so dry and her throat was tight, "I was. I saw it all-"She felt little relief as she managed to form actual words.

"Saw what?" Ginny interrupted. Her leg was bouncing up and down with wrecked nerves. "What did you see? Please, Hermione tell me what happened to my brother."

"He broke into her home" Draco interrupted.

Hermione shut her eyes in pain, she wish Draco hadn't interjected. His voice had been so matter-a-fact. As if it didn't matter that he had just made Ron sound like some criminal in front of his most beloved friends and family. Draco had no sensitivity for this kind of thing.

Hermione was quick to jump in and recover seeing the look of offense creeping onto Ginny's face.

"It's true," Hermione quickly rambled, "He did break in. It was quite late; I couldn't even tell you what time. But I awoke to find him in my room and he wasn't sober." She said it as if his drunkenness justified his actions. She had to believe that, it was too difficult to believe that the Ron they had all known would be capable of what he had done sober. "He was belligerent; I have never seen him so far gone." She wanted it to be clear to Ginny and Harry that Ron was not in his right mind.

"I knew we should have gotten him help Harry," Ginny cried.

"What could we have done Ginny? Ron didn't want help. He was hell bent on destroying his life." Said Harry.

"You say it as if he was beyond recovery. We could have helped him!" Ginny protested.

Hermione decided to jump in quickly before the two of them started to fight. Grief changed people. She had seen it before and she didn't want Harry and Ginny to hurt any more than they already had to.

"I think that he just wanted to talk to me. Because he was telling me about Lavender and Dean and some of the problems he was having but then he seemed to forget why he was there." Hermione paused and wrung her hands nervously. "He tried to kiss me and things…they escalated from there."

Harry shook his head in disappointment. Ginny's eyes were clenched in pain, her head laid into her hands.

Hermione thought it was best to leave out Draco's involvement as much as possible. Harry and Ginny wouldn't be very understanding and she could imagine him quickly becoming their scapegoat for Ron being gone.

She continued, "Because of how intoxicated he was, he didn't take my rejection very lightly. He took my wand…and Draco's and he was trying to coerce me into saying I was still in love with him; which I refused to do. He then threw down his bottle of fire whiskey and ignited it-"

"I think you forgot the part where he tied and bound me," Draco injected, pushing his back off of the doorframe.

Hermione bit her tongue, why couldn't Draco have kept his mouth closed? Of course they knew the true turn of events but Harry and Ginny didn't need to hear every detail. Hadn't Draco lost someone he loved? Didn't he know how much it would hurt them to hear those things? She couldn't help but turn and glare knives at him.

"I'm sorry Hermione but they deserve to know the whole truth." Draco explained.

"What do you mean the whole truth? Explain yourself," demanded Harry in a state of confusion.

Draco stepped forward, closer to the group and kept talking, "Ron went crazy-plain and simple. He broke into her home and held us hostage. He had taken both of our wands before either of us had awoken. When we tried to calm him down he bound me with ropes that attempted to strangle me. While this was happening, he decided to set her room on fire. When Hermione finally got me free he refused to leave the room with us. So of course, Hermione went back into the room after him even though it was on fire. He then thought it would be a good idea to use her as a hostage against me, he tried to get me to abandon her in a burning building with him by threatening to cause her harm if I didn't leave."

"Why would he do that?" Ginny angrily interrupted.

"Because he was drunk," shot back Draco. "-and when people get that inebriated they make poor choices. When I refused to abandon her he pushed us down the stairs, grabbed a hold of Hermione and tried to pull her up the burning staircase. He was going to kill himself and take her along for the ride. So I got Hermione out of there and he chose not to save himself. That is the truth. It may not have been what you wanted to hear but it's what happened. Hermione and I got away from the fire as quickly as we could and we didn't look back."

"You're lying" Ginny growled, hot tears splashing down her face. Harry got up from his seat and rushed over to comfort his wife. "I know my brother and he would never do something like that."

"He would and he did" Draco insisted.

Ginny turned desperately to Hermione with tear ridden eyes, "Tell me the truth Hermione," she begged, "What did this monster do to Ron? I know he was involved, he had to of been. Everyone knows how much he hated Ron-."

"What are you talking about Weaslette? Why would I want to kill your brother?" Draco crossly interrupted

"What your mouth Ferret" Harry warned.

"Ferret? Very nice scar-head. You do realize that if I hadn't been there Hermione would be dead along with Ron?"

"Ron would never have hurt Hermione, he loved her!" Ginny shouted. Her fists were starting to ball up as she got angrier.

"Oh yes, he loved her so much that he screwed around behind her back and left her! He didn't love her. He felt guilty for fucking up her life, broke into her home in a drunken mess and lit himself on fire. Don't get angry with me because we chose not to sit around and burn down with him!"

"How dare you!" Ginny quickly shot up and pointed her wand threateningly in his direction.

"Ginny…"Hermione stood up slowly and tried to ease her friend down.

"Take it back!" Ginny growled at Draco as her jaw started to grind.

Draco stepped closer towards Ginny's wand in defiance. "Weasley, I don't care if you hate me. I understand that there are a lot of reasons why someone might. But you can't hate me for being a liar because I'm not one. So, go ahead and curse me for telling the truth. It won't make your brother any less dead." Draco spat.

If Harry hadn't grabbed hold of Ginny's wrist and turned the direction of her wand at that moment, Draco surely would have needed medical attention. The curse shot out of Ginny's wand and punctured the wall.

"Get out of my house! Now!" Ginny screamed. Harry had ripped her wand out of her hand and she was now going after him with her fists. It took both Harry and Hermione to hold her back in true Weasley spirit.

"Draco, you are not helping! Why couldn't you just let me handle it?" Hermione exasperated in frustration as she struggled to tame her friend.

"Because you were going to give them some fake story to make them feel better about him being dead that would have been furthest from the truth."

"That's what friends do!" Hermione let go of Ginny in annoyance and faced Draco hotly. Harry, left alone to hold back his wife, barely had a grip on the fiery redhead. When Hermione let go, he considered letting her go for a moment just to let Draco get a feel of his repercussions.

"No, that's what cowards do Hermione," Draco was adamant. "I've seen enough people die in my life to know that lying doesn't comfort anyone. The truth comes out eventually and when it does, it just hurts more. If you have to grieve you might as well get it all done at once! She'll realize that one day when she calms down-"

"IF she calms down!" Hermione snapped as she stomped her foot.

"Hermione, I think you and Draco should leave now," Harry was barely restraining his wife from pulverizing Draco's face.

Hermione heaved a heavy sigh, "I'm so sorry Harry. I know this can't have made things any easier. If it makes you and Ginny feel any better, I acknowledge that Ron did this because of me and I blame myself entirely." She felt helpless and overwhelmed. Everything seemed to be falling apart.

Ginny finally managed to rip herself out of Harry's restraining grip on her. "That makes no sense!" she snapped at Hermione instead of going after Draco. "Regardless of what you and Ron went through, we all know that is was you being with this death eater that drove him crazy! It drives us all crazy! Ron knew he was dangerous from the beginning, he tried to warn us and we didn't listen to him. Now he's dead! You probably killed him to keep him out of Hermione's life for good, didn't you?" she blamed Draco.

"You're mad woman," Draco rolled his eyes at her accusation. "I told you what happened, exactly as it happened. It's your problem if you can't accept reality."

"We'll see what's real when the ministry reports their findings!" retorted Ginny.

"That we will." Draco agreed, "Then you'll realize that you're as stark-raving mad as your brother was!"

"Draco!" Hermione was appalled that he was attacking Ginny like this when he knew that she was grief-ridden. Despite how angry Ginny was behaving, she had a reason to be acting that way. Draco had no excuse.

This time Harry was the one with his wand drawn, "I'm not going to let you insult my wife any further Malfoy. Now, for the last time I'm going to ask you to leave. If I have to say it again I'm going to force you out of my home."

"No need to set the place on fire Potter," snarked Draco, "I'm leaving."

Hermione couldn't help but gasp at Draco's remark. How could he say that to Harry?

"You don't have to go with him Hermione. You can stay here with Harry and I. You know that you'll always be family. We're not going to force you stay at that man's place while you look for somewhere new to live," offered Ginny.

Draco waited for her reply.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry that Draco is behaving like an ass-"

"Hey!" interjected Draco.

"You are!" she snapped back at him than turned back to Ginny "But," she calmed her tone. "But please believe me that he had nothing to do with Ron's death." She felt she had to defend him. She couldn't leave knowing Harry and Ginny thought Draco could do such a thing. "It was a tragic incident that I wish I could have prevented but I couldn't. None of us could. I never wanted him dead and I know that Draco didn't either."

"Hmmph" Ginny crossed her arms but continued to listen. Harry still hadn't taken his eye off of Draco and held his wand steady in case he needed it. They both remained very suspicious of him as Hermione spoke.

"I wish I could tell you that everything Draco said was a lie but I can't do that because it's not. I know that the man in the fire was not who your brother was in his heart. I will always believe that. But Draco's is right- I would have sugar-coated the truth. And the truth is that if we hadn't gotten away from Ron in that fire, neither of us would be standing here now. I am so sorry that it ended up this way." Hermione was crying by the time she finished her explanation.

"Why weren't you able to stop him? You could have stunned him, bound him, or done something to get him to stop!" Ginny sounded more like she was begging rather than asking a question.

"He had our wands Gin, I'm so sorry. And by the time we managed to get them back from him he was making threats and we weren't able to draw them out without him acting hostile. He could barely stand or speak Ginny. He wasn't thinking." Hermione shook her head in remorse.

Ginny seemed to be overcome with grief as the truth of her brother's death finally started to sink in. She silently walked away from them all in a comatose-state and walked up to her room without excusing herself. She needed to be alone to process everything she had just heard.

"She needs to be with her family Harry," said Hermione.

"I know that Hermione. But she's a Weasley; she's stubborn all get out. I think she just needs some time. I'll go check on her in a few minutes to make sure she's' okay and handling all of this properly."

"How are you handling this?" she asked.

"I'm not right now. I need to take care of her first and then I'll figure out how I'm doing."

Hermione just nodded in understanding. Harry always needed to be strong for everyone else. He may no longer be the Chosen One but he still felt the need to be the Hero whenever it was needed.

"Ginny is right though, you can stay here if you need. You know you're always welcome."

For a second, Hermione forgot that Draco was standing behind them still waiting for her to follow him. Her eyes flickered for a second as she recalled this.

"Can you give us a second?" Harry asked Draco over Hermione's shoulder.

Draco shrugged and waited outside the front door.

Harry took hold of Hermione's arm and made direct eye contact with her.

"Hermione, promise me that Draco didn't have anything to do with Ron's death." He reiterated.

"I promise you Harry that he didn't. If anyone is to blame, it's me."

"How can you say that?"

"You know that he was drinking because of me being with Draco-"

"Yes, and because of Lavender, Dean, the kids and all of the other mistakes he was making. Don't blame yourself Hermione. It won't do any good. I nearly drove myself crazy trying to think that I could have prevented Cedric's death, or Sirius' or Dobby. Dwelling on the unchangeable is frivolous. You're smarter than that."

Hermione didn't argue.

"Are you going to stay here with us?" Harry asked again.

"No, Thanks Harry. I need to go home with Draco. I mean this with all the love in my heart, but I can't let Ron slow down my life any more than he already has."

Harry held back any judgment and just nodded his head in understanding. "I just want to make sure it's safe for you to be around him."

"Harry, Draco has never harmed me and I know that he never would…" her voice quieted down a bit as she realized that she never would have dreamed in a million years that Ron would have tried to kill her…She shook away the thought and gave Harry a half smile. "I trust him Harry. I promise you, he's really a good man with a terrible mouth."

"Alright then Hermione-I trust you."

Hermione gave him a close hug. "I'll speak to you later Harry." She couldn't help but apologize again, "I'm so sorry about everything. Please, give Ginny my love."

"I will Hermione. You know where we are if you need us."

"Of course." She gave him another half-smile before turning to follow Draco back home.

/

Draco was leaning against Harry's house with his hands in his pockets as he waited.

The door finally swung open and Hermione walked out. Her face held tear stains all the way down to her chin that became suddenly apparent in the sunlight.

"Did the boy wonder decide that it's safe for you to come home with me?" Draco remarked.

"Something like that." Hermione slipped her hand inside of his. "So, take me home then."

"With pleasure" Draco pulled her in close to his chest, stepped back and apparated them back home.

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A:N/ So, while most of you are soon to be starting your spring breaks, my break has ended and I'll be starting back at school again. Which sadly means I might slow down the updates. But the good news is I'm still working on a new Fanfiction. I want to have a good chunk of it completed before I post the first chapter. It will be a Dramione. What else is there worth writing? ;P Also, for those of you reading Prohibited Behavior- I'm still going to finish it but my muse has run away temporarily. I haven't forgotten about you. Thanks to you all for the support and feedback! I can't believe Torn is over 400 reviews! Thank you! I wonder if it'll hit over 500... ;)


	38. Staring Past Farewell

It wasn't until after the ministry reported their findings on the fire that Hermione received an invitation to Ron's funeral. It was suggested in the invitation that she attend alone; meaning Draco was not welcome.

The ministry investigation was able to confirm all of Draco and Hermione's testimony as to what had happened. They had both been required to write out official statements, saying how the event had taken place and subject their wands to inspection, but that was all the ministry had required them to do.

Hermione did write into the investigation, asking them why she had not been able to put out the fire with a simple _Aguamenti _ charm. They explained in a reply that how a wizard or witch feels when casting a spell and how the spell is said can affect its outcome as much as wrist motion and enunciation. Ron's spell had been altered by his compromised state of mind and therefore the fire had been modified to become a much more dangerous substance than he intended.

Hermione needed to realize, so that her guilt would ease up, that there was nothing she could have done to prevent what happened. She had to tell herself that again and again because it was so much easier to say that it was to believe.

She had to hire a mover to retrieve her books that had been protected from the fire. She couldn't bring herself to see the rubble of what used to be her home. It sickened her to realize Ron had burned to death beneath all the debris and ash of what once was her house.

All they were able to recover from the ruins had been his bones, which the family was to have cremated for the funeral.

Hermione was almost grateful for it; she couldn't bear to see him in death. At the least she felt she could bring herself to go to the funeral, knowing his remains would be confined to a small box that would never be opened. She had seen enough people dead in her life; she didn't want to look into the eyes of death starting at her through Ron's face.

Hermione was shaking as she dressed that morning. Draco had gone with her to purchase a few outfits of her own. She wasn't very fond of wearing Astoria and Pansy's old clothes any longer than she needed to. Draco hadn't explained yet why he had some of their belonging lingering in his basement and she didn't pry him about it. Now wasn't the time to ask; not when she had to go bury a friend…an old lover…ex-husband…she didn't know how to remember him yet. All she knew for certain was that she was going to bury a monumental piece of her life and no part of her felt ready to do so.

"I wish you could come with me," confessed Hermione as she slipped on her black heels. Her whole attire was suitably black. It wasn't a color that necessarily fit her but was all too appropriate for the occasion.

"You know it's best that I don't," responded Draco regretfully. He wanted to be there for her.

Hermione nodded, her eyes cast down, "I know." She tried to place her fingers into her gloves but her hands were shaking. Draco approached her and assisted her effort, sliding her gloves gracefully onto her hands before holding them in his own.

"Just remember to breath. I'll be here all day, if you need to leave early just come back home to me."

Hermione nodded again but didn't look up at him.

"You don't have to go you know."

"No, I do," finally looking up into his eyes. "I don't want to, but I have to do this…I need to."

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked with concern.

"I don't know, we'll see…," This wasn't going to get easier. She had to just bring herself to do it and hope it ended quickly, "I should be going." She rushed.

"Alright," Draco dropped her hands and let her apparate to the Burrow where the service was being held.

/

There were already so many people in attendance. Many Hermione recognized but a fair amount she didn't; ministry friends, press, old school colleagues, past professors, fans, family, friends. It was all very overwhelming from the second Hermione stepped foot on solid ground. Her eyes rapidly scanned the crowd until they locked onto Harry. Hermione made her way through the bustling crowd until she reached him.

"Hermione," his voice held an air of relief. "I thought for a minute you weren't going to show."

She nodded as if to confess she had thought the same thing. "It's just…it's hard." When did her mouth get so dry? Her palms were sweating. Where they really going to do this? Bury Ron?

Harry's tone dropped in volume as he leaned in closer to her. "You didn't bring him did you?" he asked with concern.

Shaking her head she answered, "No, of course not."

There was a sigh of relief, "Okay, good. Thank you for that. I know that it must have been hard to come alone but thank you still."

Hermione nodded her head quickly, "Yeah. I understand Harry."

Hermione jumped with a startle as a hand gripped her shoulder. She turned around with a relieved sigh and welcomed the hands outstretched towards her for a hug.

"Neville," sighed Hermione.

"It's going to be alright Hermione. We'll get through this together." He was crying.

Neville turned Hermione around so that Luna could embrace her as well. Luna was the only person wearing a bright and festive color.

"I thought that we should be celebrating his life. I hate it when funerals are so…so sad," expressed Luna.

"Well…considering the manner of his death Luna…"muttered Neville to the side.

"I don't think it should matter. Do you Hermione?"

It was difficult to speak, "No…no Luna." Hermione managed to answer.

She realized then that someone was missing, "Where's Ginny?"

"She went inside a little while ago. It's too much for her," said Harry with a regrettable shake of his head. "She had her time to say goodbye. The family already had a private viewing. I didn't think you would want to be there…his kids…"

"Right," Hermione quickly cut him off with an affirming tone to verify he had made the right call. She wouldn't have wanted to be there. "How's Molly and Arthur…and the others?"

"Alright, considering. I haven't actually seen Molly cry yet though, it's a bit troubling. I don't think it's really sunk in, you know?"

Hermione nodded in understanding, "I can't imagine. She's already lost one child and now this…"

As if she had heard her name, Molly was clearly making her way over. Like a deer in headlights, Hermione froze in spot. What could she possibly say to this amazing woman who had been like a second mother to her for her entire life? _I'm sorry your son is dead because of our divorce?_

It was fortunate that she didn't need to say anything. Molly hugged her tightly and her embrace said it all. She didn't blame her and she wasn't angry. It was clear that she was in as much pain as the rest, even more so, but she was going to be strong until the last person left the funeral and she had time to be alone with her husband and grieve.

Hermione succumbed to the arms clasped around her until Molly pulled away. Molly gently caressed Hermione's tear streaked cheek with the back of her hand and softly smiled. Hermione hadn't even realized she'd been crying. "You'll always be a daughter to me Hermione. Always, and don't you ever forget it. I love you dear."

Without a doubt she was crying now. This time she practically threw herself into Molly's arms. "I love you too Mrs. Weasley and I am so, so sorry."

"We all are dear, we all are," her voice choked up and she firmly pulled herself back as she took a deep breath; refusing to lose her composure in front of anyone. "I'm sorry but I must go check on Ginny. I'm so happy you came." Molly gave Hermione a quick kiss on the forehead and quickly walked off towards the burrow to find her daughter.

Without speaking the group made their way over to the place where Ron's urn was presented on an exuberant pedestal.

The urn was chic and black, his name engraved on the center of it in large lettering. Photographs adorned the pedestal along with an array of flowers. It was truly a beautiful assortment but it panged them all to see it.

"Harry, you'll let us know if there is anything you need won't you?" spoke up Neville.

"Of course Neville. But, we'll be fine. We all just need time, that's all," Harry replied. His eyes were fixed on the urn; a haunted look flickering in his eyes.

Hermione could feel that she was shaking like a leaf in the wind. It was like she was standing in the middle of a nightmare, screaming inside her mind. She could feel the heat from the fire, smell the smoke, and hear him burning as she ran away to safety.

Hermione could feel Luna's eyes watching her. "Hermione, we read the ministry report. You do know that his death isn't your fault, don't you?" Luna's voice seemed to echo through the walls of her mind, dissipating into the throbbing pain settling over her temple.

Hermione shut her eyes violently and tried to steady herself to no avail. A fear latched onto her, making her believe that if she opened her eyes the entire assortment would be ablaze and he would still be burning. Her head was spinning circles in the darkness of her eyelids as Luna pressed a hand to her back to help steady her.

Hermione took a deep breath, grounded herself and finally opened her eyes.

Staring back at her were two short pair of eyes looking directly into hers from the other side of the urn. Behind them were two adults she recognized all too well as Lavender and Dean. They quickly ushered the children away from the urn when they realized who they were staring at.

"You okay Hermione?" asked Neville, "You've gone pale."

It was true. Obviously Hermione wasn't going to look her best today but she was exceptionally white; all color gone from her face as she stood, shaking harder than before.

Harry looked behind him to see what she was looking at and then realized what caused her reaction. "I'm sorry Hermione. Lavender said they were going to leave after the private viewing. She said that she didn't want to keep the kids around the funeral for too long. I didn't know she'd be here with them." He quickly apologized.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from them. The little girl kept looking back at her as her mother ushered her away. Her eyes were exactly like his…the little boy has his flaming, unruly hair…the structure of their cheeks was his…their lips were made in his likeness…Hermione had just seen Ron's ghost in the form of two small children. Two children she once intended to be her own, but would never be.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Hermione finally spoke up when she could no longer see the children.

Without hesitation, Luna ushered her over to the bushes where she lost the little breakfast she'd managed to get down that morning.

It took a few moments for her heart to stop racing, her breathing to steady, and her shaking to ease down to a manageable vibration before she could speak again. "I-I can't do this. I'm sorry Harry but I have to go."

"I understand," Harry nodded and stepped away to give her room; Neville and Luna following suit.

Hermione couldn't apparate away fast enough.

/

Draco could see how shaken she was when she landed in his living room. He jumped up out of his chair and hurried over to aid her.

"What happened?"

"I saw them" Hermione was clutching onto his arms, her face was still ghostly gale and her pupils were dilated in shock.

"You saw who?"

"His kids Draco," Hermione gasped, "I saw Ron's kids! I didn't even think that they might be there. I was so worried about having to face him in that urn, a-and he was staring me in the face thru them, both of them. They look just like him," It was difficult to make out Draco's face through the wall of tears accumulating in front of her eyes. He pressed her close to him as the wall of tears toppled over, fell down her face and onto his chest.

"It's okay. It's over with now and I'm here. Calm down Hermione, it's alright," Draco soothed her as she cried into his arms.

"It just hurts to actually see the children that were supposed to be mine," she explained through her tears.

"I know baby, you don't have to explain it to me. I understand. I understand everything."

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A:N/ Getting close to the end! I will have the rest of the story up with quick updates. It's written through to the end! I just have to edit my chapters. Thanks for following along and remember to review and let me know what you think. I love reading your reactions!


	39. A New Day

Three months had passed since they had buried Ron. It has passed by almost too quickly too believe.

The tension between Ginny and Draco remained and Hermione was no longer allowed to have Draco accompany her when she visited Harry and Ginny's home. Not that it mattered; she didn't need to have him with her to visit her old friends, but knowing that he was banned created a certain air of tension that couldn't be denied. The love between her and Draco grew ever stronger as the months passed and it became clear that they were merging into one functioning unit. To unwelcome Draco felt like a ban on a part of herself some days. It was also true that because of what happened with Ron, she would never admit to Harry and Gin that it bothered her.

Suddenly the clock turned back and Draco was once again the outcast. It felt as though Ron's entire close circle of friends and some family viewed Draco as the scapegoat to Ron's death. They made snide remarks and alluded that Draco was to blame for Ron's mental break. No one ever blamed Hermione, at least not to her face.

Even Luna's disposition changed around Draco. It was steadily becoming easier to just stay home with Draco and avoid that part of her life. Exclude herself from the life she had once shared with Ron; friends and all.

In her heart, that wasn't what she wanted and she hoped that time would ease their grief and anger. She wanted them all to see in Draco what she saw in him. He was a charismatic individual with a protective nature, fierce loyalty and a love for her strong enough to stand against any challenge or obstacle in life. Without a doubt Hermione loved this man and would give up everything to stand by his side.

Which is why she was so happy when she found out she was finally pregnant.

Neither of them planned it and Hermione was the only person who knew. At the brink of her despair, she had been convinced she was unable of conceiving. Maybe she had waited too long? Maybe she was broken? Or perhaps Ron was punishing her from the afterlife, laughing at her turmoil from afar?

No, none of those things had been true and her life was finally going to take a positive turn. She could barely contain herself. She was incredibly anxious to inform Draco of the happy news, and was fairly certain he would be happy to hear it. But first, she wanted to make sure he was the man she wanted to start a family with. If she was wrong, and he wanted nothing to do with this happy accident; she would have no problem raising her baby on her own. Yes, she loved Draco and he was everything she never knew she needed. But above all, she longed to be someone's mother. That was the most important thing in her life and she wanted to share it with Draco.

She peered into the study and saw Draco reading at his desk.

"Draco," she spoke up to get his attention.

He didn't turn his gaze from his book but replied with a, "Hmm?"

"You know those boxes you have downstairs with Pansy and Astoria's things?" Hermione prodded.

"Mmmhmm" he hummed as he turned the page of his book.

"I'm throwing it all out," she declared.

"Mmmhmm"

Hermione huffed and placed her hands onto her hips, "Draco, are you listening to me?"

"You're going to throw out all their stuff. I heard you." He muttered back.

"And you don't care?" she fished around with a pointed glare.

Draco could sense where this was going and finally looked up from his book. "Why would I care?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"I don't care," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Okay then," Hermione chirped, "I'm going to throw it all away then._ All_ of it."

"Alright then. Thanks, it'll clear up some more space for you."

"Exactly," she snided.

"Right," Draco went back to reading and Hermione sharply stomped her foot down.

"What? What's wrong Hermione?" Draco finally asked with irritation as he set the book down, placing a marker between the pages.

"I don't understand why it's been here to begin with," she stated.

"Because I was once married; twice before and they both lived here with me," Draco explained as if she'd gone daft.

Hermione rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I know that. But why didn't they take that stuff with them?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask them."

"I'm not going to ask them!" Hermione was getting short tempered, "Why didn't t you throw it away?"

"They might have come back for it." He stated.

"Why would they come back after all this time? You should have tossed it Draco."

"Well, I didn't. But you're going to do it for me now so what's the problem Hermione?"

"I want to know why you kept it."

"Because I'm lazy, Hermione," was his poor excuse.

"You have house elves!"

Draco pretended to be astonished, "Are you actually condoning _elf_ labor? I never thought I'd see the day." His chuckling only served to aggravate her further.

"Stop being a pest and explain to me why you really never got rid of their stuff. Do you miss them?" Hermione accused.

Draco gagged, "Miss those wenches? Of course not. Hermione Love, are you feeling ill? What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I just want to know." Hermione tried to calm herself a bit. His term of endearment for her always snagged a soft spot within her heart and softened her disposition.

Draco pushed his chair back from the desk and motioned for Hermione to come over. She reluctantly complied and walked over with a small pout on her lips as she sat on his lap.

"Stop pouting," he playfully scolded her as he pushed her bottom lip in. "What's wrong Hermione?"

"I just want to know that you're going to be here," she admitted vulnerably.

Draco couldn't help but laugh out loud. "And where would I go?"

Hermione shrugged, she felt childish and foolish, "I don't know…back to one of them?"

"Never. Never in a million years. I promise you that no part of me would ever entertain the thought."

"I just find it odd that you have so much of their stuff still lying around your house when you could have easily had it removed years ago."

"I guess it served a reminder of where I've been. Something to remind me of all the ways I fucked up in the past," Draco joked. "I don't want to make the same mistakes. Sometimes it's good to have your past stare you in the face from time to time. Helps you remember not to turn around and keeps you going forward. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess. So, you really don't care if I get rid of it all?"

"Not a bit. If it bothers you having it around, burn it for all I care." Draco felt her flinch when he said the word burn. It was clear to him that she still associated anything having to do with fire with the accident and Ron's death. Draco touched Hermione's chin gently and turned her to look at him. "I'm not looking to reconcile my past when I have such a bright future staring me in the face. Trust me Hermione. I'd have to be utterly crazy to jeopardize what we have."

Hermione felt herself tearing up, maybe it was her hormones or maybe it was his sincerity that was making her feel so overcome with emotion. All she wanted to do was kiss him, and so she did.

/

It wasn't her proudest moment as Hermione decided to kindly ask the house elves to remove Pansy and Astoria's belongings from the house for her the very next day. She told herself that it was okay to have the elves do this for her since she was pregnant. Pregnant women shouldn't lift things; right?

Right.

The removal of their presence, as small as it was, made her feel comfortable and confidant. The house had slowly transformed over the last few months as she regained a sense of belonging. Her possessions were gradually accumulating and blending in with Draco's. The only place she wasn't allowed to place her things was in his study; which was fine with her.

Draco was building her a new personal library and she would soon have a space to call her very own within the house. Due to the size of Draco's house, which was much smaller than the extravagant home Ron had picked out for them, her new library would be of modest size. It would contain the essentials, a safe area for her rare books and an improved nook full of pillows. For the time being her books were all stored in her library outside of the home.

Then it hit her. They'd need to build a baby room while they were renovating. The excitement bubbled over her and she couldn't wait to start.

Hermione thought that she must have looked ridiculous, smiling to herself like the Cheshire cat for no apparent reason when Draco walked in on her.

"Glad to see you're in a better mood," he observed as he approached her.

"Much better," she affirmed.

"Good, I prefer you in a good mood," he said before sneaking a quick kiss from her lips as he took hold of both her hands, caressing them as he spoke, "Seeing you happy makes me happy."

"Trust me, I'm very happy," Hermione beamed, her stomach filled with butterflies and anticipation.

"I'm going to do everything I can to keep you that way," he said.

It was then she noticed that something about his demeanor had changed. Suddenly, he seemed very serious and slightly nervous, staring at her intently as if to gage a reaction.

That's when Hermione realized something was different. She looked down at her hand, noticing it suddenly felt heavier and found herself staring at a beautiful diamond ring. Draco had slid it onto her finger without her realizing it when he took her hand into his.

He had taken her breath away and she didn't know what to say. She just gaped at him like a fish.

"I love you Hermione and if you marry me I promise to keep you happy for the rest of your life," Draco proposed.

It was unusual, but quite endearing to hear Draco sound so nervous as he spoke. The smile on Hermione's face didn't falter for a moment as Draco promised to love her until she couldn't stand it.

"I know that you've been through so much in your life and so have I, but I know that we can put all of that behind us and live our lives the right way this time. No need to apologize for our desires, no need to change or compromise ourselves, or to put our dreams on hold. I feel like our lives were made to fit together. Hermione, I can't imagine myself finding happiness without you by my side. I need you in my life to feel complete. Seeing your smile every day is more important to me than the sun rising. I need to hear your laughter like I need to breathe. You are everything to me Hermione…" he slowed down his chatter and paused, taking a slow breath to calm his nerves, "Please say yes."

Hermione withheld her answer with an amused smile on her face, "Just promise me one thing first."

"Anything," Draco exhaled.

"You can't marry me just because I'm pregnant with your child," she told him with a happy and mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I can't marry you just because you-you're what? What! Hermione, did I just hear you right?" Draco's jaw dropped in shock at the news but he was radiating happiness.

Hermione's smile wouldn't quit, "You heard me right, and of course I'll marry you. There's no one else in the world I'd rather spend the rest of my life with," confessed Hermione as she wrapped her arms around the shoulders of the wonderful man in front of her. She yelped out as he lifted her up in his arms and spun her around un-expectantly; beaming with excitement.

"Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed in disbelief as he spun her around, "I'm going to be a father? Seriously?"

Hermione was giggling like a teenager, "Seriously. We're having a baby Draco."

Draco kissed her like he never had before, "I can't even tell you how happy you just made me woman."

"I think I have an idea. This is everything I've ever wanted Draco."

"And everything you deserve."

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A/N: What? Two updates in one day? Crazy! I know! It's because I'm horrifyingly bored in my math class. So, you're welcome. On a positive note, my new math teacher wears a mockingjay pin! Yes, I've jumped on the Hunger Games bandwagon! Team Peeta? Is that a thing yet? I read the books and I already know I win but still. Team Peeta! Yeah! Maybe I'll write some Hunger Games Fanfiction, hmmm? Throw some celebrities into the arena, like Xena and Chuck Norris maybe…*ponders idea* Okay, I'll stop that.

Anywho, Torn is almost over (tears!) I can't believe it, nearly 500 reviews! I love you all! Let's see if we can tip the review scale of 500. That'd be awesome. Again, I love reading your feedback. Thanks for all of the continued support!


	40. A Matter of Placement

It seemed that every happiness in Hermione's life was destined to be interrupted by a tragedy of some kind. Draco and Hermione barely had time to rejoice in their engagement and the news that they would be expecting their first child when a grave knock came rapping on their door.

"I got the door, don't get up," said Hermione as she walked over.

She pulled the front door back and looked into the face of an unfamiliar man. The expression he held was stern and looking into his eyes made her uneasy and caused her toes to curl.

"Are you Hermione Weasley?" the man asked in a gruff voice.

Hermione had to shake her head on straight; it had been so long since she'd been called that by anyone. It almost sounded like the name of a different person; a different life. "I was," she spoke up, "It's back to Granger now."

"Of course, my apologies," said the man

"Why? What's happened?" she asked with an etch of worry in her voice.

The man sighed, his voice so low that the sound seemed to rumble beneath her feet. He pressed his forehead with two fingers to show that he was stressed. "I'm not usually the person who makes these calls, you must understand. I hardly ever leave the office but Mr. Galloway is preoccupied today and was unable to deliver this news himself as he should have."

"What news?" asked Hermione tensely. If something happened to Harry she didn't know what she'd do…but why would this man be telling her something about Harry? Wouldn't Ginny or Mrs. Weasley deliver that kind of thing themselves?

"I am sorry to inform you that there has been an accident," the man said.

The words caused Hermione to tense like a board and she braced herself for the worse. Draco was walking up to her at that moment, not recognizing the voice of the man standing in his door way. Draco's arm slithered around her waist and she felt braced for the news this unfamiliar man was about to deliver.

"Lavender and Dean Thomas were both killed last night," was not what she had been expecting him to say.

Hermione could breathe again. Sure it wasn't exactly happy news, but her friends were all alive and well. But now came the confusion. Who was this man and why was he telling her this personally? She looked up and back at Draco who looked as confused as she felt.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Hermione managed to console. "But, and I apologize, why is it that you're telling me this and not one of my friends or their family?"

The man sighed again and shook his head, "May I enter Ms. Weasley? A-hem, I'm sorry. I meant to say Ms. Granger, may I come in?"

"It's going to be Malfoy soon anyway," Draco interjected.

Hermione had to resist the smirk twitching at the corner of her lips. "Of course, Mr.…what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," he outstretched his hand and shook hers with a defined gruffness, "Mr. Harding."

"Mr. Harding." Hermione repeated.

Mr. Harding shook Draco's hand as well, as hesitant as Draco was to return it before walking inside. Hermione led Mr. Harding to the living room where Draco sat next to her on the couch while Mr. Harding took his place across from them.

"What's this about?" Draco asked as soon as they were each settled in.

"You said that Lavender and Dean are dead," Hermione reiterated.

"Yes, last night they both passed," he affirmed.

"What happened?" asked Draco more from curiosity than concern.

"A most unfortunate charms accident. Before you ask, no- the children were not present. They were both staying at a friend of families when the incident occurred. Thank Merlin."

"I apologize if I sound insensitive Mr. Harding, but what does this have to do with me?" Hermione asked again.

"Mrs. Thomas did not-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you. But I just wanted to clarify, Lavender _Thomas_? So they were married recently?" Hermione remembered Ron telling her that they were engaged and had announced it in the Prophet. She hadn't heard anything about an actual marriage taking place.

"Yes, earlier this week." Mr. Harding confirmed before turning a brilliant shade of pink, "They can't be sure yet but there is speculation that the charm they were attempting was intended to… _enhance_ their honeymoon" he suggested, coughing as if he were choking on the allusion. "Unfortunately it went terribly awry."

"Evidently," commented Draco. The hint of amusement in his tone was sinful. Hermione elbowed him discreetly and kept her attention on what Mr. Harding had to say.

"It is most unfortunate that Mrs. Thomas did not leave a will before her passing and Mr. Thomas never adopted the children before the accident. Of course Mrs. Thomas's estate will be assumed to her children and they can go to the ministry and argue rights to Mr. Thomas's as well should they chose to do so-"

"How old are the kids now?" Hermione interrupted.

"Marie is five and Shawn is four," he answered.

"Why are you telling us about the details of their inheritance?" inquired Draco, placing his arm around Hermione's shoulder.

"Ms. Granger, before I go any further I must ask if you are okay with Mr.…"

"Mr. Malfoy" answered Draco with a tone of authority as he straightened his posture to make himself appear bigger to the stranger in his living room.

"Mr. Malfoy," Mr. Harding repeated as he continued, "being present for the duration of our conversation?"

"We're engaged to be married. There is nothing you can say to me that cannot be said in front of him." answered Hermione.

"Very well." He reached into his bag, pulled out a small stack of papers then passed them over to Hermione. Draco looked at the over Hermione's shoulders. It was a copy of a will. "I am here Ms. Granger because Mr. Galloway and I are Mr. Weasley's attorneys, as I said before Mr. Galloway is preoccupied today. He usually attends to these out of office calls." Mr. Harding refocused, "Even though Mr. Weasley has passed it is still my job to make sure that his wishes are carried out to the best of my ability."

Hermione was really confused now.

"Because Mrs. Thomas did not leaving a will and Mr. Thomas had no guardianship rights, which wouldn't matter if he had since he has no siblings or parents to claim any in his passing…Mr. Weasley's will is the only thing with standing legality in the litigation of custody concerning their children."

"Okay, but we were divorced before he passed." Hermione pointed out. Draco had taken the papers out of her hands and was reading through them.

"Which I am well aware of." Mr. Harding acknowledged, "However, Ronald did request in his will that should anything happen to him, the children were to be placed with you."

Hermione's jaw fell. "What did you say?" Draco looked up from the sentence he had been reading and paid attention to what Mr. Harding was saying. He would have his own attorneys look over the will after he left.

Mr. Harding continued, "This was irrelevant when he passed of course since the children's mother was alive and well, and completely capable of caring for her own children. But now that she has passed and she left behind no will behind concerning her desires for her children's placement, you are the first person with rights to their guardianship. Her parents of course may contest this in court, but it is not likely that they would in their state and age. You should know that they would also not have much of a case if they did try."

"Are you telling us that we have to take his children into our home and raise them as our own?" asked Draco in disbelief.

"I'm not telling you that you _must_ do anything Mr. Malfoy. I'm simply making you aware that Ms. Granger has first rights to the children who, as of last night, are now orphaned. And should she not take the responsibility of custody, they will most likely end up in a home."

Hermione felt like she was just dropped off the edge of a building. Her mind immediately flashed back to the funeral, standing beside Ron's urn and staring into their eyes, seeing Ron's face in every detail of theirs…

No one broke the silence as Hermione sat there pondering what she should do.

"How soon do I have to claim my rights?"

"They could end up in a home tomorrow in all honesty" replied Mr. Harding.

"They're not your responsibility," Draco interjected. "He had those children without your consent, if their mother neglected to give them godparents it's not your problem."

"I know that Draco but it's not their fault that their parents are dead. Those homes are awful, You-Know-Who grew up in a home-"

"That has nothing to do with this."

"And Harry had to be raised by people who despised him when his parents died-"

"Which is exactly what would happen to those kids if they come here," Draco mildly threatened.

Hermione glared at him.

"What? You can't expect me to actually be on board with the idea of raising Weasel's spawn after everything he did to us, can you?"

Hermione glared harder, "Spawn?"

"Yes spawn. Hermione we have our own child on the way. We don't have the time or resources to worry about-"

"We don't have the _resources_? That's a load of bollocks Draco."

"We're not taking them in," said Draco definitively.

"As I recall, Mr. Harding didn't offer you any kind of guardianship. Did you Mr. Harding?"

Mr. Harding looked taken back, uncomfortable with the idea of being pulled into their confrontation. "Uh…no, no sole guardianship would reside with you Ms. Granger." He helpfully clarified.

"So it's my decision in the end Draco. If I decided to take in these children are you going to support me? Because, I was under the impression that you would support me through anything."

"You're not being fair," snarked Draco.

"Maybe not. But what happened to those kids isn't fair either. They're alone in the world right now and they need a mother."

"Your hormones are just getting the best of you Hermione. I know that you've always wanted to be a mother and you will be in a matter of months. You don't need to consider this right now."

"I do need to consider this. And I'm sorry to do this Draco but I think I need you to leave the room while I speak to Mr. Harding alone."

"What happened to 'anything you can say in front of me you can say in front of my fiancé?'" Draco mimicked her in a high pitched tone.

Hermione glared daggers at him for mocking her. "Please leave the room Draco," her words were short and pointed.

"Fine. But if they come here they're sleeping outside." He sulked as he left the room.

/

Hermione deliberated with Mr. Harding for nearly an hour, going over her options, understanding the details of the will and her rights as guardian should she take them.

When she invited Draco back into the living room both she and Mr. Harding were smiling.

"Ron always did speak highly of you Ms. Granger," complimented Mr. Harding as he gathered his belonging. "I can see why."

"Thank you Mr. Harding." Hermione shook his hand as they both stood up.

"So, what happened?" asked Draco.

"I believe we worked out a suitable arrangement Draco. I'll explain it to you after Mr. Harding leaves," said Hermione as she walked Mr. Harding to the door. "Thank you." She thanked him at the doorway.

"No, thank you. What you're doing for these children means the world, especially in such a tragic time. More than anything, children need to live in a happy home with parents who love them."

"I couldn't agree more," said Hermione with a smile and said goodbye to Mr. Harding.

As Mr. Harding left their home, Hermione turned to face her fiancé who was impatiently awaiting an explanation regarding the decision she had just made for the both of them.

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A/N: Oh Man Hermione, what the frick are you doing? I swear I have no idea…*looks around*

Leave a review and tell me what you think she should do…even though her decision has already been mad and written in the next chapter…but tell me what you think anyway because I love hearing from you!

Also, I'm starting a new story called Bridges. I'm really excited about this one. I'm debating over whether I want to start posting it now and update as I write like I did with this story. Or if I should wait a few months (cause that's how long it takes) and start to post it once I have it completed. I'll probably start posting it soon but again, I'd like to know what you think! A special thank you to everyone who has followed this story from the beginning, I love you! See you next chapter! XD


	41. All I Ever Wanted

Epilogue

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Just as she suspected, Neville and Luna were more than willing to take over custody of Ron's children. They only had one child between them and Luna was unable to have anymore. They welcomed Shawn and Marie into their home as their own flesh and blood.

As Hermione had discussed with Mr. Harding, she had to first claim her custody of the children before she could allow Neville and Luna to adopt them from her.

Hermione would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the face Draco made when she vaguely told him that she had decided to take the children in before she explained the arrangement she intended to make with the Longbottoms.

It was a wonderful arrangement for everyone. The children of course missed their parents terribly and no one could ever replace the roles Lavender and Ron played in their lives. But it was also true that Neville and Luna were the kindest people Hermione knew and amongst the best parents she'd ever seen. She had no doubt in her mind that Shawn and Marie would grow up happy and un-plagued by their parents' sins and tragedies.

The week after Neville and Luna signed the adoption papers, Draco and Hermione discovered that they were not only expecting, but would be welcoming twins into the world.

The news of one child had excited them both immensely, but the news of twins enthralled them. After finding out that they would be having one boy and one girl, they picked out the names Estelle and Donovan Malfoy.

Hermione had never been so excited in her life.

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Amelia Potter waited anxiously beside Marie Weasley at Kings Cross as Estelle Malfoy worked up the courage to run through the barrier at platform 9 3/4 on her first day. She came running through, eyes clamped shut and breath held until she heard the sound of her friends safely on the other side.

"I told you it wasn't scary!" said Marie as she gave her friend an encouraging hug.

"You were right. I don't know why I was so nervous! But, hold on! We have to wait for my brother," Estelle could still feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins after thinking she was going to run straight into the wall.

Her brother Donovan was a lot braver than she was and her mother constantly tormented their father, saying that he was a clear shoe-in for Gryffindor house. Estelle didn't want to be separated from her twin, but she knew that she would make her father proud at the sorting ceremony and end up in Slytherin house no matter what.

Donovan ran through the barrier confidently, their parents following up behind him with their luggage. Draco and Hermione walked over to meet up with the Potters and the Longbottoms as soon as they crossed through the wall. It was the Malfoy children's first year at Hogwarts and the other parents were assuring Hermione that she was going to be fine during the sepeartion. The first year was always the hardest for the parents, and each year became steadily easier to say goodbye.

It had taken Ginny, Harry, Neville and even Luna years to accept Draco honestly as someone they could respect and be friends with. When Hermione informed them all that she and Draco were expecting eleven years ago and made it clear that she needed them to stand beside her (as they were to be wed), or excuse themselves from her life entirely; they all had made the honest effort to put their tensions aside and welcome him as best they could back into their lives.

Hermione felt fortunate that the people she loved dearest in her life were able to genuinely get along after the years of sorrow and hardship they'd all endured. Hermione felt her life had been blessed in so many says; none more so than the two miracles she watched preparing to board the train to Hogwarts before her.

"Were you scared crossing the barrier?" Donovan teased his sister with his father's trademark smirk that he'd inherited, knowing the answer was yes.

"No," Estelle lied, a smooth grin on her face, "Only muggles are afraid of running into walls. I'm a proper witch and I know what I'm doing. What's there to be afraid of?" she lifted her head up proudly and turned away from her brother, catching the proud wink her dad gave her before she ran off to catch up with her friends.

Shawn Weasley walked up to Donovan and whispered, "I saw her come through the wall. She was terrified,"

"I knew it"

Hermione took hold of her husband's hand as they said goodbye to the others and followed their kids towards the Hogwarts Express.

"It feels like I just woke up one day and they grew overnight," she expressed.

"Really? I don't think they grew up fast enough. We haven't had a proper shag in eleven years," teased Draco. "If you tell me to quiet down once tonight I'm going to spank you until you're raw."

Hermione blushed and jumped as he pinched her behind, "I wouldn't dare think of it."

"What are you two talking about?" quizzed Estelle with suspicious curiosity.

"We were just talking about much we're going to miss you," said Hermione sweetly to her daughter.

"And I was just telling your mum that we're not going to send you anything for Christmas if you end up in Gryffindor house with your brother," teased Draco.

"Don't worry Dad. I'm not the defective twin, remember?"

Draco knew he shouldn't laugh at that but he couldn't help it.

"Estelle, I bet you a galleon you come to me crying tonight because you're going to miss home so bad. I'm not going to be much help to you if I'm defective, am I?" Donovan pointed out as he crossed his arms in a huff.

"I was just kidding Donovan, geesh. You're so sensitive" Estelle rolled her eyes and gave her brother a friendly hug, knowing he was right. Donovan returned the hug and let it go.

"You're such a brat," he teased his sister with a light pinch in the arm.

"Just like her father," said Hermione with a smile.

"Hey now!" protested Draco.

"Don't worry dad, I took it as a compliment," bragged Estelle.

"That's my girl. Here, take this for the sweet cart," Draco handed her a galleon.

"Hey! No fair!" said Donovan holding out his hand. Hermione gave him his own galleon as the train whistle blew signaling the passengers to board, "Take care of each other and don't forget to owl." She pulled both of her kids into her arms and showered them in hugs and kisses.

"We won't mom," promised Donovan. They both said goodbye to their father when they finally managed to pry themselves free from their mother's grip.

They said their final goodbyes and Love You's before boarding the train to be with their friends.

Hermione and Draco watched the train speed off into the distance, hand in hand.

"Draco, can I ask you a question?" said Hermione, squeezing his hand as a light sadness overcame her. Being apart from her children was going to be one of the most difficult things she would have to learn to cope with. She didn't think she'd be able to manage it without Draco beside her.

"Anything, Love," answered Draco as his thumb gently stroked the back of her hand.

"Are you happy?" she asked as she turned to face him.

"Happier than I deserve," was his reply. "What about you? Are you happy?"

"I feel like I become happier each day I live." Hermione answered with a smile.

Draco tenderly kissed his wife and said, "That's all I've ever wanted."

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A/N: The End! Oh goodness, I can't believe it's over. Can you? 500 reviews so far! I can't believe it! Thank You! I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I especially want to thank all of you who left reviews each chapter. You are my motivation to keep on writing and your feedback means more to me than you could ever know. To celebrate the ending of Torn, I decided to upload the first chapter of my new story: **Bridges**. I'm really excited about this story and hope you decide to read it. If you liked my writing (or just my ideas because sometimes my grammar sucks. lol) and want to read one of my completed works, then check out: The Possibility, Flashes of Dramione, and More Flashes of Dramione if you haven't already. Thank You again for reading Torn! Also, I'm on Pottermore! Go to my profile for my username and add me as a friend! Mischief Managed!


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